A Wedding Problem
by Lady Netiri
Summary: [COMPLETE] The group is invited to Kagome's cousin's wedding. The day of the wedding, strange things start happening. Can they find out who's behind this and why?
1. A Letter and Unusual Phone Call

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Chapter 1: A Letter and Unusual Phone Call

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"I got a letter from Kara!" Kagome rejoiced, holding the object in question and bouncing around. 

Inu-Yasha sat on the couch unimpressed. _Is this Kara, person someone I should remember? _

"And I care because…?" he snorted.

"Because, she's my cousin, stupid, and it says here, she's getting married!" 

"Do I know this person?" 

"You don't remember her? She's the one that lives in America... has long red hair… talks kind of funny…" Kagome stated waving her hand around hoping to jar some memories from the last time her cousin visited. 

The memories that came to Inu-Yasha's mind were not the ones Kagome had hoped for. They were ones of pain, misery, and a very, very, **very, **embarrassing trip to the drycleaner's store.

"That chick with the tattoo and paintball gun?! I'm never going near her again!" Inu-Yasha shouted with sudden fear. 

"Oh come on, that little incident with the paintball gun was an accident. She apologizes in almost every letter she sends me." 

"I don't care! She scares me! Now what else does that letter say?" he said grabbing the piece of paper out of Kagome's hand.

"Hey, give that back!"

Inu-Yasha pushed Kagome down by the top of her head so she wouldn't steal the letter back. 

He read it out loud:

Dear Kagome,

Hello! It's your cousin, Kara. I'm writing you because I have some wonderful news! I'm getting married! Can you believe it? Jason finally asked me at dinner last week. Mama almost fainted into her soup! 

Anyway, you're invited! So are your friends: Inu-Yasha, Sango, and Miroku. If Inu-Yasha is reluctant, tell him he has to go as your date or I'll call Hojo and that these four tickets (enclosed) to Hawaii are **NONREFUNDABLE**. _Remind him that I really **am **sorry about the paintball incident. _

I've sent a similar letter to your Mother and Brother. And if Inu-Yasha has grabbed the letter out of your hands and is reading this right now, as I suspect he is,

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Inu-Yasha asked angrily, taking a brake from reading the letter. 

"She just knows you well, Inu-Yasha." Kagome stated dryly. Inu-Yasha resumed reading.

__

I finally have an answer to why girls always want to touch your ears, Inu-Yasha! They're just so damn cute!

I hope to see you there, seeing as you'll be my Maid of Honor, Kagome!

Sincerely,

Kara ^-^

"Hawaii?! Maid of Honor?!!!" Kagome gasped as she finally got out of Inu-Yasha's hold and grabbed the letter back out of his hand. She held up four envelopes that were the tickets to Hawaii.

"Why the hell does she want you to be her maid of honor? Doesn't she know you're a klutz?" Inu-Yasha asked. "You'd probably trip going down the aisle." 

Kagome appropriately smacked him on the back of the head with the envelopes. She read the letter over and over again, making sure Inu-Yasha hadn't misread anything. 

"She wants me to be her Maid of Honor!" Kagome cried while clutching the letter to her chest. "I have to call Sango!" 

With that she scurried off into the kitchen of her apartment leaving Inu-Yasha on the couch. Alone. As in by himself. Okay, not exactly by himself. Buyo, Kagome's old, obese cat was staring at him and the goldfish were swimming around in circles in their tank, but you can hardly count that as company. 

About five minutes had passed and he hadn't heard a word from Kagome and he was starting to get a bit antsy. 

"Kagome? What's taking so long? Kagome?!" he called. "Are you okay?" 

Inu-Yasha got up and ran into the kitchen. He saw Kagome sitting on a bar stool looking impatient, with the phone next to her ear. 

"Sango's not picking up." Kagome stated slamming the phone down. She was not even trying to hide the irritation in her voice. 

"Maybe she's not home?" Inu-Yasha asked more than stated. He knew better than to mess with her when she was in one of those moods. Suddenly he got a bright idea: She was probably still asleep.

"Did you try Miroku's place?" 

Kagome gaped at him. "You think she'd be caught dead at _his_ house at this hour in the morning?" she asked looking at the clock and noticing for the first time that it said five forty-five. 

"I'm _here_ this early, so why couldn't _she _be _there_?" 

"What's that supposed to mean?" Kagome asked with and evil edge in her voice. 

"Not that! I'm just saying try it! Who knows? She might be there." 

"Fine," Kagome agreed. "but I doubt it." 

Kagome dialed the number. The phone rang twice. Not only was Sango there, but also _she_ answered the phone. 

"Hi Kagome!" Sango greeted her friend cheerfully. 

Kagome covered the receiver and mouthed the words 'It's Sango' to Inu-Yasha. When he smirked Kagome realized there'd b no living with him after this. 

"Kagome? Are you there?"

"Yeah, I'm here. Sango, how'd you know it was me?" 

"Miroku has caller id on his phone. If it'd been anybody else but you I wouldn't have answered, but Miroku is in the shower right now." 

Once again Kagome put her hand over the receiver and mouthed 'Miroku's in the shower' to Inu-Yasha. Sango caught on. 

"Kagome, is Inu-Yasha there with you?"

"Maybe…"

"Oh, god! This is making me sound like a total pervert! Tell Inu-Yasha I just got here about five minutes ago, and that Miroku just got in the shower!"

Kagome relayed Sango's message: "Inu-Yasha, Sango wants me to tell you she just got there about five minutes ago and that Miroku just got into the shower." 

"Sure she did." Inu-Yasha said dragging the words out into a taunt. 

"He said: 'Sure you did.'" Kagome repeated to Sango in the same taunting tone.

"Ooh that little! Wait till I get my hands on him!" 

Kagome got an absolutely hilarious mental image of Sango strangling Inu-Yasha on her kitchen floor. "Inu-Yasha, she said she was going to hurt you." 

"Her hurt me? That's a laugh!" Inu-Yasha said as he plopped down in the chair next to Kagome. 

"Anyway," Kagome started again, "Sango, I got a letter from my cousin Kara today."

"Really?! I haven't seen her in ages!" Sango exclaimed happily. "What did she want?"

"She's getting married!"

"Married?!"

"Yeah!"

Inu-Yasha thought he was going to be sick. Just listening to Kagome and Sango blabbing on and on about stupid junk could take hours of his precious time and he needed to get Kagome and himself to work soon. Why did her car have to break down?

"Finish up, Kagome. We have to leave soon." 

"Fine, Inu-Yasha. Listen, Sango, I'll give you all the details at the club tonight. Eight sound okay?" 

"Sure. I can't wait."

Both girls hung up at the same time, but what Sango turned around to see and what Kagome turned around to see were two very different things. 

Kagome turned around to see a very impatient Inu-Yasha with car keys in his hands, waiting by the front door.

Sango turned around to see Miroku in all his toweled glory. His unusually long hair was out of the ponytail he normally kept it in. It was wet and it allowed tiny beads of water to escape down his shoulders and onto his strong and naked chest.

Sango found herself watching them roll down farther and farther downward, until they slipped under his towel. Then Miroku noticed her gaze and let the towel slip a little bit further south on his hips. Not too far, but just enough to surprise the crap out of Sango and allow her eyes more roving room. He smiled wickedly when her eyes got huge. 

"You like?" he asked her in a sassy voice. "Then why not try it on for size?"

Suddenly the awed expression on Sango's face was shaken off and was replaced by a very angry one. Then Miroku felt the left side of his face connect with her right palm, surely leaving a telltale slap mark behind. 

"How dare you?!" she fumed at him.

"I was just joking! Sheesh! You take everything so seriously." Miroku said pulling up his towel to it's proper place.

"And you don't take things seriously enough!"

While the screaming match at Miroku's house went on, Kagome was being dragged out of her apartment. 

"Come on Kagome! We've got to go!"

"Just let me grab my make-up."

"No, we have to leave now!"

Kagome reached up and grabbed one of Inu-Yasha's sensitive dog-ears. 

"Please, no, Kagome! Don't do that!"

"Then let me get my make-up." Kagome growled and tightened her grip on his ear just to give him a preview of what would happen if he said no.

"Fine! Go get your make-up, but just don't twist my ear!" Inu-Yasha pleaded to his captor. 

She let go and went back inside to grab her bag. She came back out about five minutes later with it and walked past Inu-Yasha and into his car. He followed and got into the driver's seat.

"I don't know why you insist on always having make up on. You look pretty good without it."

Kagome blushed.


	2. The Club

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Disclaimer: I do not own any of the IY characters, nor do I own a nightclub, nor do I support the thoughtless consumption of alcohol (funny as it may be). I do, however, support the designated drivers out there because their actions have saved many lives. Thank you!

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Chapter 2: The Club

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After a day at their respective workplaces, the gang met up at a club on the south side of town. 

"Hi, Sango! Hi, Miroku!" Kagome called. 

Sango was standing beside Miroku looking for Kagome. She was wearing a tasteful green plaid miniskirt, a white tank top, a short leather jacket, and a pair of high-healed, leather boots. Miroku was wearing black leather pants, a very over-exaggerated belt, and a dark red T-shirt. 

Sango saw Kagome and waved back. She noticed that Kagome was wearing red tennis shoes, a pair of low-rise jeans and a nice black shirt. Inu-Yasha was wearing a pair of jeans and a T-shirt that he'd probably been wearing all day.

Kagome towed Inu-Yasha along behind her, through the crowd, to her friends on the other side of the dace floor. His ears were flat back, showing the discomfort he got from the loud, booming bass of the current song the DJ was playing. 

The music, however annoying to Inu-Yasha, provided Miroku with some very nice eye candy. He watched the girls dance with their boyfriends or with each other. Their moves entranced him and he almost missed the playful cuff on the back of the head Sango gave him when she noticed where his gaze was wandering. He glanced down at her.

"Kagome and Inu-Yasha are here," she said grabbing his hand and towing him past the dancing girls, to their friends that had just arrived. 

"Hi guys." Sango greeted them.

The guys exchanged looks and left for the bar portion of the club. 

"Okay. Bye, then…" 

Kagome and Sango shook their heads and found a table away from the speakers where they could actually hear themselves think. 

"Now that I'm here, spill it Kagome!" Sango prodded her friend. "You sounded way too excited on the phone for this to be an ordinary wedding." 

"Well, for one, Sango," Kagome explained to her friend, "we're all invited. Second it's in Hawaii." 

Sango squealed in delight at the name Hawaii. She got mental images of white sand beaches, clear blue water, palm trees swaying in the wind, Miroku and herself strolling down the beach, hand in hand… Then she stopped herself and made Miroku's hand be on her butt, and her handprint on his cheek (the one on his face, Sickos!). 

"Anything else?" Sango urged.

"She wants me to be the Made of Honor!"

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While the girls babbled, the guys were sitting at the bar ordering drinks. 

"Inu-Yasha?" Miroku asked.

"What?" Inu-Yasha asked as he looked up from his drink.

"Do you think Sango would kill me if I asked her to dance?"

"Depends on how you ask."

Miroku raised his eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, if you go right up to her and say 'Let's dance.' then try to pull her away, she'll probably kill you. But if you go up and ask her very politely, she might dance."

"And just how do you know this?" Miroku asked.

Inu-Yasha pulled up one of his shirtsleeves to reveal a bruise. It was in the shape of a fist and was suspiciously petite enough to be Kagome's.

"Experience, Miroku. Experience." 

Miroku laughed and pulled up one of his pant legs, also revealing a bruise. His, however, was on his shin and was considerably larger than Inu-Yasha's.

"Wish I'd know that before!"

Both men laughed at each other's pain and the bar tender subconsciously considered cutting them off. Then she realized that they had only had three drinks so far and were probably just _normally_ insane.

Miroku noticed the bar tender's odd gaze and decided to change the subject.

"Inu-Yasha, Sango said something about a wedding this morning on the phone…"

"Yah, Kagome's cousin is getting married. And, lucky us, we're all invited." Inu-Yasha said sarcastically. 

"Where is it?"

"Hawaii."

"Hawaii?!"

"Jeeze, you're almost as giddy as Kagome was."

Miroku's eyes got huge. "Do you know what's _in_ Hawaii, Inu-Yasha?"

Inu-Yasha felt pretty stupid. The truth was, he had no earthen clue what the big deal about Hawaii was. Until then he didn't even care, but now he was curious.

"No, Miroku, I don't know. Tell me: what's in Hawaii?"

"Only some of the beautiful beaches in the world!"

"Since when do you care about beaches?"

"Since I want to see Sango and a couple of other gorgeous women in bikinis!" 

Inu-Yasha sighed in disgust then took a drink of his beer. 

"You're too predictable."

Miroku got up and went over to the girls' table. Inu-Yasha watched him. Miroku put on his best polite face and asked Sango to dace. Sango looked to where Kagome had been sitting for reassurance, but found the girl had deserted her. Sango reluctantly agreed and went to dance with Miroku.

Inu-Yasha looked to the seat that had previously held Miroku and found Kagome. 

"Wanna dance?" she asked him.

"Uh, sure." 

The two went off onto the dance floor and were soon dancing right along to the obnoxiously loud music. 

The rest of the night went on just about the same way, with a slow song here and there. As much as Sango hated to admit, she enjoyed dancing that close to Miroku. Miroku, undoubtedly, loved it as well. Kagome and Inu-Yasha had a great time, but Kagome had to drive him home, because he had had one too many shots.

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My notes:

I realized I made a **huge** booboo last night when I put up the first chapter. I forgot the disclaimer! I was so taken up with trying to figure out how to format the document to upload, that I forgot it! Well you can consider this a disclaimer for the first chapter: I DO NOT OWN INU-YASHA OR THE REST OF THE GANG!!!! I am terribly sorry that I forgot it. T-T Forgive me…? 

Okay, now that I'm out of grovel mode, I…well I don't know what I was going to do.

--Lady Netiri ^-^


	3. Symptoms of the Morning After

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Disclaimer: I do not own IY, nor do I own Hawaii Air (if there is such an airline) or Tokyo International Airport (if there is such an airport). But I do own a pillow that I use to beat people with. ^-^

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Chapter 3: Symptoms of the Morning After

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The next morning, Inu-Yasha woke up in a strange room. It wasn't his, but it seemed familiar. He tried to sit up, but when he did he got a major headache. 

"Oh, my head," he moaned, lying back down.

Kagome heard the noise coming from her bedroom and left the couch to see if Inu-Yasha was all right. She'd brought him back to her apartment because he'd been too drunk to see straight and she didn't want him to get hurt. 

Kagome peaked around the door to see Inu-Yasha on her bed where she left him last night. He was looking a little hung over, but none the worse for wear. 

"Inu-Yasha?"

"Wha…?" he asked as he looked around. He finally saw her standing by the door in her pajamas, which were an old shirt and underwear. Suddenly he remembered where he was. 

"Why am I in your room, Kagome?" Inu-Yasha asked while he made another effort to sit up. Kagome rushed over to help him.

"There you go, sweetie," she cooed while she helped him sit up. "Don't rush yourself. You're still a bit messed up from last night."

At the sound of that Inu-Yasha's eyes got huge. His imaginative mind was putting puzzle pieces together in quite the wrong way.

"From…last night…?" he gulped. 

Kagome's expression went from caring, to confused, to sour. 

"How could you even think that!?!?" she screamed.

Her tone was already loud, but to Inu-Yasha it was even louder. This was because of his sensitive dog-ears. Add that to the fact that he was hung over, and you basically get the sound of somebody putting a mega-phone up to your ear and screaming into it. Not a pleasant sound first thing in the morning.

"How was I supposed to know?!" Inu-Yasha shouted back. "All I see this morning is me in your bed, in your room, and you in a T-shirt and panties talking about last night!"

************

A similar argument was going on at Miroku's house. Miroku had taken Sango back to his house because she had gotten a little tipsy the night before. Everything was going well until Sango woke up and found herself in a bed with Miroku.

"How could you?!" Sango screamed as she beat Miroku with a pillow.

"I swear, Sango, nothing happened!" Miroku vehemently stated. 

Sango broke down into tears and continued to pound Miroku over the head with her pillow. 

"Then why would I be here?" she said between sniffles. 

"Well if you would stop beating me with that pillow I could explain." 

Sango stopped with the pillow-turned-weapon over her head, ready to strike if she thought Miroku was lying. Miroku looked into her eyes with look that melted her heart. 

"As I was saying before, Sango," Miroku explained, "nothing happened. You got a little drunk, and I brought you back here so I could watch you and make sure you didn't hurt yourself."

Sango was skeptical. "A likely story, but how do you explain the bed?"

Miroku blushed. "Okay, I admit, that was me being a little kinky." 

Sango was just about to start smacking Miroku over the head with the alarm clock that now replaced the pillow. Miroku saw it and rushed to defend himself.

"But if you'll notice, you're still in your clothes from last night!" Miroku screamed as he shut his eyes tight and covered his head with his hands.

Right about then he was expecting to feel the clock connecting with his face. When it didn't, he slowly opened his eyes one at a time and moved his arms away. Sango was surveying her out fit.

"So I am… You have proven your innocence and I am sorry." Sango said. "Now I have to go home, take a shower, and start packing."

"Packing? Where are you going, Sango?" Miroku asked. 

He began to stand up but realized too late that he was on the edge of the bed. He toppled over and took the sheet with him. This threw Sango off balance and she flew off the bed along with Miroku and the sheets. She landed with a thud on top of Miroku.

"Awkward…" Miroku sighed. Sango blushed and stood up.

"I'm packing for Kara's wedding. We're all leaving tomorrow."

Miroku's eyes got big. "This is _Kara's_ wedding?!" 

"Ya, so?"

"Is this the same Kara that pulverized Inu-Yasha and myself with paint balls?"

"That was an accident. Besides, it was Inu-Yasha's fault that he wore light pants that day." 

"It looked like he had blood stains on them! From behind he looked like a girl who was off the calendar."

Sango chose to ignore that statement and went looking for her purse. 

"I suggest that you start packing, Miroku." Sango called over her shoulder when she found her purse. "Inu-Yasha will be here to pick you up at six." 

With that, Sango left Miroku's house.

**************

The next day, at precisely six o'clock, Inu-Yasha was banging on Miroku's door. 

"Miroku, hurry it up! We've gotta be at the airport in half an hour!" 

From inside Miroku shuffled around in his blankets, content to sleep all day. After all, this was his week off. Then he remembered _why _he had taken this week off.

"The plane!" he shouted with a start. "Coming!" 

He pulled his pants on and ran down the stairs at the same time. Good thing he had left the suitcase by the door.

"Hi, Inu-Yasha!" Miroku said, out of breath as he opened the door. 

"Hurry up and get in the damn car. We've only got twenty-five minutes!"

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The group found themselves in Tokyo International Airport with time to spare. The security was tight but they made it to the Hawaii Air terminal just as it was beginning to board. 

Inu-Yasha looked a little frightened as he boarded the plane and Kagome noticed. 

"Inu-Yasha, are you okay?" she asked him when they found their seats. 

"I'm fine." he said rigidly.

Miroku noticed. "Are you scared, Inu-Yasha?"

"No, I'm not scared! Its just…Ihaven'tbeenonaplanebefore." 

"What?" Sango asked. 

"You haven't been on a plane before?" Miroku asked incredulously. 

"Leave him alone," Kagome defended. "It's not his fault he hasn't been on a plane before."

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My notes:

Okies! I thought that was a good way to end this chapter! I might put the plane ride itself in the next chapter. Waddya think? 


	4. Dilemma at the Airport

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Disclaimer: I don't own any of the IY characters nor do I own a car of any kind. I also realize that, had this been in real life, there would be a language barrier. I've decided to over look it. So, with the wave of my clawed hand, I grant Inu-Yasha, Kagome, Miroku, and Sango the ability to speak and understand English! OoO

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Dilemma at the Airport

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"Jason, I have to go get Kagome and her friends from the airport. I'll be back in about an hour." Kara told her fiancé. 

"Sure you don't want me to do it, sweetie?" he asked her. 

"They don't know you, darling. Besides, I want it to be a surprise when they meet you."

"Okay. I'll see you later then. I love you. Bye!"

Kara blew a kiss back to her soon-to-be-husband. He was so handsome in his jeans and T-shirt, his face tanned from surfing in the sun. There would be plenty of time to admire his pretty face later though. Right now, she needed to get to the airport to pick up her cousin and friends!

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After one long day on a plane, Kagome and the others were quite content to be back on solid ground. Inu-Yasha, by far, was the most. His poor, sensitive ears had been popping the entire flight. It had gotten better when he became accustomed to the elevation, but, it seemed, right as he had, they started to land. 

"Thank God that's done!" Inu-Yasha declared as he stepped into the terminal. Girls with lays came up to him. 

"Aloha!" they greeted and each placed one over his head. The same went with each of the passengers as they got off the plane.

"Man, a guy could get used to being greeted by beautiful women in grass skirts, but boy is it hot." Miroku noted as he got his and Sango's bags off the conveyer belt. Sango smacked him over the head lightly.

Inu-Yasha nodded as he grabbed Kagome's, then his own bags. 

They all wandered their way to the customs checkpoint.

Inu-Yasha went first and barely growled as he got checked over with the metal-detector wand.

"Who's coming to pick us up?" Sango asked as she went through. 

"Kara, I think." Kagome answered. Then she realized just how crowded the airport was. It would be just perfect if they got separated.

Miroku spoke her fear. "Where's Inu-Yasha going?" 

"WHAT?!" Kagome nearly shouted. 

Her outburst earned her some strange looks and some extra attention from the customs agents that were checking her bag, one in particular.

"Miss, I'm going to have to ask you to come with me," the young man said. 

Kagome looked up and read his nametag. It said Kouga. 

"What? Why?" Kagome asked as she was led away.

"Don't worry, ma'am, it's just random checks of foreign passengers. Security reasons."

__

Random? Random my ass! Why'd I have to yell?! Security's already tight at these places, so why'd I have to yell! 

"Don't worry," Miroku called, "Sango will meet you back here and I'll go find Inu-Yasha."

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Kara was having a blast trying to find a parking space. 

"Shit! Shit! Shit! Shit!" she screamed as she passed yet another row of filled parking spaces. "Isn't there a meter around here at least?!"

This was frustrating to say the least. She'd been driving around in the parking lot for at least an hour searching for a spot. She thought she'd found one once only to find it was filled with broken glass. A second time another driver pulled all the way through two spaces and just as Kara got around to the other side, another person took that one as well. 

"Surely I've been singled out for persecution today." Kara moaned to herself.

***************

If Kara thought she was singled out for persecution, than poor Kagome was about to be put on the chopping block. 

She was led away by the young customs agent to a group of rooms at the customs' offices. There he handed her off to a lady in a security uniform. She noticed Kagome's frightened gaze.

"It's just a random check." she said. 

__

Oh, sure. Now *she's* trying to feed me this bullshit. 

"Passport please."

Kagome handed the woman her passport. She looked at it then handed it back to Kagome. 

****************

Miroku weaved in and out of the crowd looking for that silver-haired troublemaker, otherwise know as Inu-Yasha. 

__

Where the hell did he go? 

Just then, Miroku caught a glimpse of something silver among the crowd near a hotdog vendor. He heard a few surprised gasps and saw some people with their jaws nearly glued to the floor. Miroku hoped to God that Inu-Yasha hadn't done something stupid to get himself arrested.

He pushed his way through the crowd to find Inu-Yasha sitting at a table eating a hotdog. Miroku quickly scanned the area for any sign of blood. Inu-Yasha saw him.

"Miroku! Dis American ood isn't ad." he said with his mouth full.

Miroku shook his head and walked over to his friend. 

"Swallow, then talk." 

Inu-Yasha swallowed his food. "I said: This American food isn't bad."

"Come on, we have to go back and meet the girls at the customs checkpoint." 

The loudspeaker boomed: "Would a Mister Miroku and Mister Inu-Yasha please come to the customs offices near terminal 2-b. There is a young lady here to speak with you. Thank you."

"Or, I guess we have to go to the customs offices." 

"What happened, Miroku?" Inu-Yasha asked more than a little concerned, the hotdog all but forgotten. 

Miroku explained along the way. They met Sango at the offices along with Kagome. 

"Sorry for the inconvenience, Miss," the young man in front of her way saying.

He was a sly devil with long black hair. He wasn't a normal human either; he was a demon. He put his hand on her shoulder like an old friend and that's when Inu-Yasha took action. It wasn't his normal way of doing things, but he was actually using his brain right now. Inu-Yasha walked up behind Kagome and brushed the man's hand off. She looked up and saw him and sighed. Her savior was here!

"Pardon, me sir, but we'll be leaving if that's all." Miroku was saying. 

The young man nodded and his gaze lingered on Kagome for a while longer. Then he left.

"Let's go." Kagome muttered angrily. 

Inu-Yasha wasn't sure if she was angry with him or just angry because she had been singled out for one of these 'random checks', but he grabbed her bag as well as his own and followed her to the front entrance. Sango and Miroku did the same.

They had been sitting there for about five minutes when Kara came in. 

"Kagome? Sango? Is that you? Miroku? Inu-Yasha?" 

Kagome turned around and saw her cousin. She was easily recognizable because of her wild red hair and dragon tattoo that was exposed thanks to her belly shirt. 

"Kara!" both Sango and Kagome squealed at the same time. 

Both the boys were much, much more reserved, preferring to stay far away from the girl that had once cut them down with paintballs. 

Kara hugged Sango and Kagome and then looked up at the boys.

"Heh, heh. Kara… Long time, no see." Miroku managed. Images of red paint were rapidly coming back to him. 

"Ya, long time, no see…" Inu-Yasha muttered.

"Have you been waiting here long?" she asked no one in general. 

"No, not really," Sango answered. 

"We got caught up at customs." Kagome growled.

"That bad, huh?" Kara asked.

"You have noooo idea."

"Tell me all about it in the car. Or on the way up, 'cause I'm practically parked on the moon."

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My Notes:

First I would like to thank my reviewers! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! I was gonna wait to post this for a while but now I'm so happy I can't! ^-^

Wanna know why Kagome's so angry? Then read the next chapter! Well, when it's up… You can't very well read something that's not there… It'll actually start to get to the point of the story a little bit.

One thing I realized was that I have no sense of time what so ever. A wedding is normally planned months in advance, but oh well, I'll make it work! 

Once again: thanks to my reviewers!

--Lady Netiri ^-^


	5. Long Claw of the Law

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Disclaimer: You know what? These are getting really annoying to do. Oh well, you know the drill. I don't own IY. blahdy, blahdy, blah..

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Long Claw of the Law (hey, that rhymes! ^-^)

******************

"HE DID WHAT?!?!?!?!?" everybody in the car, except Kagome, screamed. 

Kara swerved onto the side of the highway and stopped the car, leaving skid marks on the street and the smell of burning rubber in the air. Crammed inside the car were herself, Kagome, Sango, Miroku, and Inu-Yasha. 

"He felt you up?!" Inu-Yasha screamed in rage. 

"It wouldn't have been so bad if he hadn't been smiling the entire time." Kagome growled half to herself.

"That's it!" Inu-Yasha shouted. "Kara, turn this piece of shit around. I'm gonna go strangle that bastard."

"One," Miroku started, hoping to restore the peace somewhat, "please stop shouting, Inu-Yasha. We're right in the same car with you, and, I can assure you, we can hear you just fine. Second, I don't think you can exactly turn around on a major highway. And third, while, for all intents and purposes, the bastard at the customs booth does deserve to die, that would get you arrested."

"What am I supposed to do?!" Inu-Yasha snarled. "Let that pervert get away with touching my girlfriend? I don't think so!"

"Can we please just shut up!" Kagome screamed. 

Up till then, Sango and Kara had remained quiet, content to listen to the fighting and somehow formulate a plan. Unfortunately, their formulations were coming a bit late to be useful to anybody. At that exact moment, a man came to the passenger's side door and knocked on the window.

"Excuse me, is there a problem?" 

The group inside the car almost died of simultaneous heart attacks at the sudden appearance of the man. Kagome rolled down her window. She noticed the man had a police officer's uniform on.

"No officer, we're all fine." she said.

"Just an argument." Sango assured him. 

"This is NOT just an argument!" Inu-Yasha screamed. He had yet to actually see the officer that stood outside Kagome's door. 

"Yes, it _is_, Inu-Yasha." Kara stated firmly. "Sorry officer. We're just getting back from the airport. My friends were on an all night flight from Japan and today they got caught up at customs and are a little cranky right now."

"I understand."

"No, you **don't**!" Inu-Yasha screamed. "That bastard felt Kagome up!"

"Inu-Yasha, would you mind NOT SCREAMING IN MY EARS!" Sango screamed at him. 

Kara rubbed her temples. She could feel a migraine coming. 

"May I ask what he's talking about?" the officer inquired. This was the most comical bunch of crazy people he had ever seen. 

Kagome answered him. "I got pulled for a 'random check' and the creep felt me up. It would've been fine, except he was smiling the entire time." 

The officer looked a bit surprised. "Miss, that's sexual harassment, a federal offence. He could get jail time for that. Give me his name and the number of the place you'll be staying at and I can look into it for you."

"Sure."

Kara handed Kagome a piece of paper with the hotel's phone number on it. Kagome scribbled Kouga's name along with hers and handed it to the officer. 

"Thank you sir." Kagome called as he returned to his car.

He barely nodded and was off.

The rest of the car ride was silent other than the occasional sound of Miroku getting slapped when he put his hand on Sango's thigh. 

********************

They arrived at Kara's house at about six o'clock. There they met Jason, Kara's fiancé. 

As Jason went to the door to answer it, he recalled a conversation he and Kara had had earlier when they were discussing their guests.

__

"Jason, Inu-Yasha is, let's say, a little odd."

"Kara, trust me, I do odd every day."

"No. Inu-Yasha is different. I seriously doubt you've ever dealt with anybody like him before."

"What do you mean, dear?" 

"He's really aloof and, well, a half-demon."

"A what!?"

Jason opened the door and was greeted by Kara and the others. Among the group, he spotted the half-demon he had been told about.

__

"Okay, Kara, if you say so." 

"I just wanted to give you a heads up, so when you see him he won't freak you out. Just to let you know he's got a pair of dog ears that sit right on top of his head, instead of normal human ears."

"Honey, that's not odd... THAT'S FREAKY!"

As politely as he could he greeted them all and tried not to stare at Inu-Yasha's ears. 

"Hello, I'm Jason. Kara's told me all about you."

"All lies, I'm sure." one of the two men laughed while he shook Jason's hand. He had his hair pulled up into a ponytail.

"Miroku, I only tell the truth." Kara joked.

"Like that's much better." on of the girls stated dryly. Jason looked over at her.

"Oh, stupid me!" Kara said smacking her forehead. "I forgot to introduce them. This is Miroku," she said pointing to the man with the ponytail. "This is Sango," she said pointing to the girl that had just spoken. She politely shook his hand "That is Inu-Yasha," she said pointing to the man with the silver hair and dog ears.

He nodded at Jason. The girl that had yet to be introduced smacked his arm.

"Be more polite, Inu-Yasha!" she ordered. "His family is paying for our rooms."

Inu-Yasha eyed her wearily and shook Jason's hand.

"I'm Kagome. Welcome to the family." she said very politely while she shook his hand. 

"Well, I should probably drive you to the hotel now." Kara said. "I just wanted you to meet Jason before tomorrow." 

"Ya, we gotta unpack." Kagome said.

"It was nice meeting you," Miroku called as they went out the door.

"I'll see you all tomorrow, then!" he called out the door.

***************************

My notes:

Hi! Sorry I took so long to update. I got bogged down with homework for the last couple of days.

Oh well, I'm here now so I'll make the best of it. I know I said this chapter would get a little more to the point, but it hasn't. The next one will. I promise! 

Thanx to my reviewers. I really appreciate it.

--Lady Netiri ^_~ 


	6. Good Morning To Me!

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Disclaimer: I came to the startled realization that I don't own Inu-Yasha! T-T I also don't own Cheerios. I don't even _like_ them. 

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****

Good Morning to Me! 

*******************

The next day came and Kagome went to go wake the boys in the other hotel room. Last night, Miroku had begged to share a room with Sango, but that just met with quite a few hard whaps on the head. Inu-Yasha had to practically drag the injured man back to their room and Kagome had to virtually hog tie Sango so she wouldn't go after him. 

Kagome knocked on the boys' door.

"Guys! Wake up!" 

She got no response. After about five minutes of futile banging she went back into the room Sango and she shared and opened the connecting door inside. Inside the room, the boys were sleeping peacefully. 

Inu-Yasha was wearing a grungy old shirt and boxers. His covers were flailed out all over the place and it looked like he'd been fighting in his sleep. Bad dreams maybe. Miroku wasn't wearing a shirt. Thankfully, blankets covered the rest of his body and Kagome didn't dare chance what other clothes, if any, he was wearing.

Sango came inside and spied the sleeping Miroku. She smiled evilly and went back into her room. She came back with a glass of what appeared to be cold water. Kagome caught on and bit back a laugh. She sat down on Inu-Yasha's bed. 

Behind her, Inu-Yasha stirred. The first thing he saw was Kagome's back sitting on his bed. 

"Kagome, what are you doing here?" he asked her a little too loudly while he got up.

"Shhhh!" Kagome hushed him. 

Sango, who had been getting herself into position over Miroku for the optimum effect, faltered at the sound of Inu-Yasha's voice. As a result, a small amount of the ice-cold water spilled out over the brim of the filled glass and landed on Miroku's chest.

The young man woke up with a start. He was very surprised to see Sango sitting on his abdomen with a leg on either side. 

"Well, good morning to me!" Miroku exclaimed. "But doesn't it work better if we're _both_ awake?"

Sango turned red with a mixture of anger and embarrassment. Until then, she'd failed to realize her position looked a little awkward and even perverted. She'd also failed to notice Miroku's probable lack of clothing. She splashed the rest of the water on his face and ran back into her and Kagome's room. 

"That's a wake up call." Inu-Yasha said sarcastically.

Kagome and Inu-Yasha looked at each other and began to cackle without remorse. Kagome laughed so hard she had to lie down on the bed to keep from falling over. Inu-Yasha soon joined her and the two lie there laughing their asses off. 

After a few minutes, Kagome stopped. Inu-Yasha had gotten up and was about to get undressed right in the middle of the room! 

"Hey! Wait until I get myself out of here!" Kagome cried.

****************

After that smooth morning, the group went out to eat lunch with Kara and Jason before the girls went for the final fitting of the dresses. 

"So, how was your morning?" Jason asked.

The group exchanged pretty amusing glances.

"Eventful." Sango sighed.

Kara and Jason looked at each other with a confused frown. 

"How so?" 

The group each took turns describing the events of that morning. By the end, Kara was cackling like a fool and Jason bit his lip to keep back the onslaught of laughter he knew would come.

"That's so…interesting." Jason managed before he could bare it no longer. He laughed long and hard and was left gasping for breath. 

"I'm…sorry…it's just…so funny."

Kara decided that it was enough laughter for right now and it was time for the girls to be fitted for the dresses. 

"Sango, Kagome, I guess we should get moving. We don't want to be late for our appointment at the bridal shop." Kara said. "You boys can hang around with Jason. Get to know each other better. Ciao!" 

Kara grabbed Kagome and Sango's wrists and they were off. The boys sat and looked at each other for a few minutes before making a unanimous decision to go play foot ball with the rest of the available men that were to be in the wedding.

***************

At the airport, a police officer interrogated Kouga and had loads of luck with evidence. (i.e. Eyewitness, security camera, criminal background…)

***************

At the bridal shop the girls met with the consultant and Kara's mother. As Kagome stood in her bride's maid dress the workers hemmed it properly and readjusted the trappings. 

"Kagome, it looks wonderful on you!" Kara exclaimed when the workers were done. 

"Not nearly as good as your dress will look on you." 

"That's just a given." Kara snorted sarcastically.

"Kara!" her mother snapped and hit her on the back of the head.

"Jeeze! It was a joke, mama! A joke!"

Kagome and Sango laughed. Then it was Sango's turn. 

***************

That night, Sango and Kagome met back up with the boys at the hotel.

"How was your day, guys?" Sango asked.

"Fine." was the short, rigid response she got from both of them. 

"Well, you're just a regular ol' teddy bear now aren't ya, Inu-Yasha?" Kagome teased. 

"I'm going to bed." Inu-Yasha growled over his shoulder, stalking off towards the room.

"So am I." Miroku said in a somewhat less-rude voice.

"Who pissed in their Cheerios?" Sango asked Kagome as soon as the boys were in their room.

"I don't know but we should get some sleep. The bachelorete party is tomorrow night."

****************************

My notes:

Hi. What'd ya think? I know this chapter's not as good as the last one but I had to get a bit more to the point. The next one will be very…er…interesting…yah, that's the word I want to use: 'interesting'. "Why?" you ask. Well it's the bachelor and bachelorete parties, that's why! Miroku's gonna need to be put on a leash. No, wait; he'd probably like that. The kinky bastard…

Ciao! 

--Lady Netiri =_=*;;


	7. A Day at the Beach

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Disclaimer: *takes a deep breath* I don't own Inu-Yasha! There! Its out in the open! Wow, glad I got that off my chest… The doctor was right: realizing you have a problem _is_the first step to recovery.

I know I said this was gonna be about the parties but I got some ideas when I was reading a story today. So I am evil and will make you wait another chapter! BWUHAHAHAHA!! XD I'm sorry! I just **_had _**to put in more fluff! Besides, what's the use of being in Hawaii if you're not going to go on the beaches?

* * *

  


A Day at the Beach

* * *

  


It was about six-thirty when Kagome woke up. She got out of bed quietly, so not to wake Sango, and opened the balcony doors.

She was greeted with a gentle ocean breeze and the sounds of the lapping morning tides. The water was turquoise blue and the sand was sugary white. A few early morning shell gatherers combed the beaches. She suddenly longed to be there.

__

We haven't been on the beach once since we got here!_It's so beautiful… We're going today, even if I have to drag them all kicking and screaming!_

With that decision firmly in mind, Kagome went and grabbed her bathing suite and some clothes to throw over top and went into the bathroom to get changed. She came out five minutes later and waited on her bed for the continental breakfast buffet to open in the lobby. While she was waiting she heard a low half-growl, half-moan come from Inu-Yasha and Miroku's room.

__

What the hell is going on in there?

Kagome stuck her ear up to the door dividing the two rooms. Once again she heard the weird growl.

"I won't let you…" Inu-Yasha moaned.

"Let me what, Inu-Yasha?" Miroku snickered evilly.

"It's mine…you have your own…"

Kagome was now confused. She had never know Miroku or Inu-Yasha to be morning people and the fact that the clock told her it was just six forty-five was just baffling. She considered opening the door and peeking in, and was about to when she heard Miroku laugh.

"But yours' is so much nicer!"

Kagome thought she was gonna die of anxiety.

__

What the hell are they talking about?!

"Too bad…" Inu-Yasha growled. Then he snored.

__

He's asleep!Kagome mentally screamed. _Then what the hell is Miroku talking about? And to whom?_

Kagome heard a soft click as the dividing door opened. Her ear had been firmly placed against it along with all her weight, so when the door went, she went right along with it, landing at Miroku's feet.

"Well, well, well! What do we have here?" he asked in an overly loud and sarcastic voice.

"Shut up, moron! Sango's sleeping!" Kagome whisper-yelled, pointing at the said girl.

Miroku's eyebrow shot up at that comment. His eyes followed Kagome's finger and rested on the sleeping girl.

"Sleeping?"

"Yes, sleeping, and if you want to stay alive you'll leave her that way." Kagome snarled, knowing very well what was going on in that kinky mind of his.

"I wouldn't dream of disturbing my Sango."

"Sure, Miroku, sure. Play the innocent little school boy." Kagome mocked.

Miroku gasped and his hand flew to his chest in mock surprise. "I'm hurt, Kagome, that after all these years you still don't know me enough to trust me."

He began to cry some very melodramatic tears.

"Miroku," Kagome said getting up, "it's _because_I__know you that I don't trust you."

She shook her head and walked into the boys' room to see Inu-Yasha sprawled out all over his bed, covers everywhere, just like yesterday. Today he was facing the window and the halfway risen sun exaggerated his features.

"I'll leave you two alone," Miroku said quickly. He shut and locked the door before Kagome had a chance to reply.

__

Damn him… Oh, well, at least Sango's a light sleeper.

She stood in the room with Inu-Yasha, asleep on the bed, and stared out the window. She went over and opened it allowing the ocean's salty scent into the room. The breeze blew the sheer curtains back and played with Kagome's raven hair. That's the exact sight Inu-Yasha woke up to.

* * *

  


About that same time a police officer was getting a warrant for Kouga's arrest on charges of sexual harassment and misconduct.

* * *

  


At about eight o'clock, the whole group was bathing suite clad and carrying a towel, beach umbrella, cooler, chair or a bag of some kind to the beach.

"Damn, Kagome," Inu-Yasha complained, "this cooler is heavy! What'd you pack in here, rocks?"

"You didn't complain when I asked you to carry it this morning." Kagome stated.

Instantaneously, Miroku and Sango's eyebrows shot up at the mention of 'this morning'.

"Refresh our memory, Inu-Yasha. What happened this morning?" Miroku asked with a hint of amusement in his voice.

"You know very damn well what happened this morning." Inu-Yasha snarled.

"Someone's hiding something," Sango ventured dangerously. "Wink, wink, nudge, nudge, Kagome."

"Shut up Sango."

"Never!" she quipped.

They finally chose a spot near the water and staked out their claim.

The girls took off the shirts they had been wearing, revealing their bikinis. Both girls drew quite a bit of attention including from Inu-Yasha and Miroku.

"May I be the first to say, ladies," Miroku said, his eyes full of adoration, "that you two are the most gorgeous-looking women on the entire beach."

"Nice try, Miroku," they both said at the same time.

"So close this time too!" Miroku said playfully.

It was about then Kagome realized Inu-Yasha was practically standing in a puddle of his own drool.

"Inu-Yasha," Kagome said waving her hand in front of his face. "Earth to Inu-Yasha. Come in Inu-Yasha!"

"Wha…?"

"You're staring at me like I'm stark naked! It's embarrassing… Knock it off."

"Why shouldn't I stare at my girlfriend like she's the prettiest thing in the world?" he replied with a steamy expression.

"That's our cue to leave." Sango whispered into Miroku's ear.

He nodded and they both went to play in the surf.

Kagome looked after her friends then back at Inu-Yasha who was still giving her that steamy look.

She gulped and stared.

He stared back.

She found herself lost in his amber eyes. She loved the way they looked like melted honey.

"You still didn't answer my question."

Seagulls flew overhead.

"I, uh…" Kagome stammered. An over flying gull became her savior. "A bird just shit on your shoulder."

"What? Ugh! Damnit all!" Inu-Yasha screamed pretty generally to everything while he surveyed the damage.

Kagome couldn't help but giggle at his misfortune.

"Come on, Inu-Yasha, let's go get that washed off."

* * *

  


My notes:

Gosh, I wrote this chapter fast! Just one day! Well I guess I kinda had extra time because we got out of school early today but still… This is longer than my other chapters so far…

I just **_had_**to ruin the fwuffy parts with the bird. Why? Maybe because I'm bitter because I've never been to Hawaii; maybe because I felt abusive today; or just maybe I thought the opportunity just to good to pass up. Yeah, I think it's the third one: no real good reason, the opportunity was just too good to waste. ^-^ (^-^) FWUFFY!

I also notice I m being extremely mean to Kouga in both my stories. Why? It's not that I don't like him its just I find him one of the easier ones to pick on.

Reasons I won't pick on some characters extensively:

****

Inu-Yasha: He's the main character, my favorite, and a totally CUTE!!! (^.^)

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Kagome: She travels with Inu-Yasha.

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Miroku: He's my buddy.

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Sango: She keeps Miroku from being too… _buddy-ish_. *wink, wink*

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Sesshomaru:I'm too young to die, especially at the hands of millions of scary groupies.

--Lady Netiri ^-^*


	8. Conversation and Preperation

Sorry I made some of you a little angry with the bird thing but… I just **_had_** to! It was definitely my excessive need to ruin perfect moments. You could ask any of my friends and they'd tell you! They could be in some romantic dreamy fantasy story and say something like: "and he…" and I'd interrupt and say something along the lines of: "Farted.", "Died", or "I care because…?" I do it all the time. Don't worry, this little rant is now over and I will make it up here with little more ruined fluff and suspicion. (Damn me to hell, if you wish…)

****

Disclaimer: I don't own everybody's favorite dog-eared hanyou. Isn't it obvious? If he was mine, I would…err…you don't need to know that!

In the little flashback (little, yeah right…*snort* a page and a half is _sooo_ little. Oh and because it long, the chapter is gonna be long.) it's not exactly how Kagome saw it… though I guess anyone with half a brain could've figured that out… 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

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In the hotel room, Kagome lied on her bed and sighed. She was trying to watch some soap opera while she waited for Sango to come back with the snacks from the vending machine; the boys had gone to the mall with Jason to check out some band's CD that was highly recommended. 

Soon she found it impossible to actually care which man Veronica married. Her mind just kept drifting back to Inu-Yasha. That steamy look that he'd been giving her earlier was something new. She hadn't seen that look since… well…since that morning, actually. 

__

~*~Flashback~*~

Kagome stood, her back facing the sleeping Inu-Yasha, as she looked out over the beaches from the balcony in his hotel room. Gentle ocean breezes played with her raven hair and brought the salty-sweet smell of the ocean into the room. 

Inu-Yasha stirred. His acute nose had picked up the ocean's scent instantly. Along with it, surprisingly, was Kagome's scent.

'Why is she in my room?'

Kagome turned around and saw Inu-Yasha, now fully upright and quite awake, staring at her. The sheer curtains framed her face as the wind picked up a bit.

"What are you doing here?" he asked bluntly. 

"Miroku locked me out." She replied a little annoyed while she pointed at the separating door between the two rooms. 

It was starting to get warm in the room; the boys neglected to put the air conditioner on. Kagome was starting to sweat a little bit. She had put on a silk shirt and it wasn't breathing like she'd hoped.

"Inu-Yasha?" she asked him.

"What, Kagome?"

"Do you mind if I take off my shirt?" 

Needless to say Inu-Yasha nearly died of shock. Here he was, minding his own business, sleeping, in **his** room for that matter, when his girlfriend comes in, claiming to be 'locked out' or her room and asks him if she can take her shirt off! "Kagome…uh…are you sure about that?" 

"Why wouldn't I be?" she asked in surprise.

"You're in my room…" he stated a while he sat up on his bed. 

"Your point is…?"

Inu-Yasha was getting a lot of uncomfortable signals. For one, he was in nothing but boxers. Second, Kagome had **somehow** gotten Miroku into the other room…with… Sango - never mind, scratch that. It was undoubtedly easy for her to do that. Third (or is it still second?)_, she had just asked him if it was all right for her to get undressed! _

"Inu-Yasha…? Are you okay?" Kagome asked him. 

She left her spot on the balcony to come over and sit on the bed. She was already unbuttoning her shirt when she looked up and saw his gaze. It was steamy and strangely shy. She leaned a little closer to him. 

"I-I'm…fine." he stuttered. 

"Are you sure? You look a little uncomfortable." She leaned out some.

"Yes." he said with renewed confidence and even a little lustily. The shyness in his expression was completely gone though his heart was still pounding like thunder. 

"Thanks!" Kagome exclaimed as she started unbuttoning her shirt in earnest. "It was getting so damn hot in this room! You boys must have forgotten to put the ac on." 

This left Inu-Yasha a little confused. He was even more confused when he saw Kagome had her bathing suite on underneath.

"Inu-Yasha, can you do something for me?" she asked to break the awkward silence.

"Sure…"

"Can you carry the cooler when we go to the beach today?"

Sure he didn't remember being consulted about going to the beach! Sure he didn't know exactly what was going on! And sure he didn't even **feel** like going to the beach today! But who was he to say no to this beautiful woman sitting on the bed next to him?

"Sure, Kagome…" 

He paused and looked around.

"I would ask you something… but I think we have an audience." he growled as he got up and swung open the dividing door.

Both Sango and Miroku fell out, landing on top of each other.

~*~End of Flashback~*~

By now Sango had just gotten back with some jumbo sized chocolate bars and numerous other bags of junk food. 

"I'm back!" Sango called, scaring Kagome out of her wits.

"I noticed…" Kagome sighed as she got up from the spot on the floor to which she had fallen.

"You're feeling off…"

"No, I'm just thinking."

"About what?" Sango asked as she shut the door and wandered to her bed. She tossed Kagome a candy bar.

"About…this morning." she said between bites.

"Look, I said I was sorry about that! We just got curious…"

"That's not what I meant, Sango."

Sango stared at her friend in utter bewilderment, the candy bar half way up to her face. What else could she possibly mean?

"Kagome," Sango asked, "what the hell are you talking about?"

"I don't think you two heard the way he was talking to me."

"The way he was talking to you…? How so?"

"He sounded… well…a little lusty."

"Lusty?" Sango gulped.

"And he was looking at me the same way he did this afternoon."

Sango was a bit caught off guard by these sudden and, in her opinion, freaky changes in her friends. Inu-Yasha really _wanted_ Kagome? No, it just wasn't possible! Not the shy, secretive, and raging Inu-Yasha they had known since pre-k. Kagome must have been mistaken.

"That's not all, Sango." Kagome continued. "He said he would've asked me something if we didn't have an audience. …With the way he was talking…" Her voice trailed off.

Now Sango felt a little guilty. If she and Miroku hadn't been eavesdropping then Kagome would have a clue as to what was going on in that puppy's head. 

"Are you sure it was lust in his voice, Kagome? Not…grogginess?" 

"I'm positive, Sango. It was lust… for me."

Sango was a bit speechless. Kagome was so sure about this. She gave the only advice she could.

"Kagome, don't let him pressure you into anything you don't want to do."

The girl's meeting on Inu-Yasha's sudden change in demeanor was ended when the phone rang suddenly. After recovering from the initial shock, Sango answered.

"Hello?"

"Hi, Sango!" Kara's cheery voice on the other end greeted her. 

"Hi, Kara." 

"You sound off…"

"Kagome and I were just in the middle of an interesting conversation."

"Oh, sorry to interrupt."

"It's okay."

"Anyway I wanted to tell you girls that I'll swing by and pick you up at around four so we can go to the rehearsal dinner, okay? Jason's gonna take the boys right from the store."

"Sure, Kara. I'll tell Kagome."

"Bye, see you in about an hour!"

*********

The girls arrived at the rehearsal dinner at around four fifteen. The guys were already there with Jason. 

It was your standard rehearsal dinner; nothing fancy. The entire wedding party and some of the guests were there. The best man made his toast and then the entire group ate. It was finished at about six o'clock. Then it was time to go back to the rooms and get ready for the real event: The bachelor and bachelorette parties.

********

Kagome finished getting ready. She was wearing a black mini skirt, white shirt, and black high-healed boots. Soon Sango was also ready, wearing a red skirt, black shirt, and red high-healed boots. Now it was all a matter of waiting for Kara to get herself out of the bathroom. 

*******************************

My Notes:

I decided to end this chapter right now not only because it was long but also because I realized that having the…err…discussion and the parties in the same chapter would take away from both. So this time I'm positive the next chapter will be solely focused on the parties! Kinda inevitable, seeing as they've just gotten ready…


	9. The Bachelorette Party

Sorry for the long wait for an update. (Oh, no! that rhymed! Damn that cat in the hat…) I was not having very much luck with my computer because it was being very bad, not to mention, fan fiction was down a while ago, so I couldn't update even if I had this ready then. Now I have a three-day weekend to look forward to! YIPEEE! Go kindergarten testing! Look for sooner updates, hopefully.

****

Disclaimer: I don't own Inu-Yasha. 

******************

The Bachelorette Party

******************

"Kara, will you hurry it up in there?!" Kagome shouted as she pounded on the bathroom door.

"Jeeze, Kagome. You're gonna bust the door down if you keep it up!" Sango said as she eyed her friend. 

"Kagome, I swear, if you mess this door up, I'll mess you up!" Kara screamed from inside.

****

"Tell me where we are NOW!!!" Kara shouted angrily. She was blindfolded and not at all happy about it.

"Now, now Kara, if we told you it wouldn't be a surprise, now would it?" the driver mocked.

"Kris, you had better tell me right now or I'll hunt you down an gut you like a fish! I know where you live!"

"Scary…" the girl named Kris said in a mocking tone while waving her hand in a dismissing manner.

"I'll murder you in your sleep!"

"You would too."

The rest of the girls giggled as they approached 'the place'.

"Here we are!" Kris announced.

"Where's here?!" Kara screamed.

"You'll find out once we get inside." Kagome snickered.

"All right girls! Let's show Kara a good time!" Sango giggled as they got out of the van.

Kara was still blindfolded as she was led into this 'place' that her friends had taken her. Once inside, she heard pounding music and then a deep, sexy voice that welcomed them to 'The Claw' and asked for their party name.

"The party is registered under the name Jones, I believe." Kagome spoke up.

The man shuffled through some papers and found what her was looking for.

"Where the hell have you girls taken me?! And why did you use my name to register for a party that I wasn't even aware of!?" Kara screamed.

Then the man noticed for the first time the blindfolded girl being held back by her friends. It was quite funny really, though it was a common occurrence at places like this. He decided that it would be much more fun to flirt with all the girls before showing them to their tables.

"So, does she know where she is?" he asked in that sexy voice of his.

"Not a clue." all the girls replied in unison. 

"That makes it even more fun." he said in a daring tone, drifting his way from behind the desk where he was taking names to talk to the girls a little more. 

As the man flirted with them, Kara was now starting to get mental pictures of where the girls had taken her. They were, undoubtedly, the most immoral pictures she had ever gotten. She pictured males dancing up on stage in little more than under ware. She blushed hotly as even that small amount of covering was removed.

The man, seeing her blush, thought his job done and directed them to their tables.

"Here you are ladies," he said as he seated them. "Right up next to the stage. Your waiter will be around any minute now." He handed them all menus.

"You can take the blindfold off now Kara." One of the bride's maids said.

"I think I'll leave it on." Kara said, not too sure what to expect of a place that had sexy sounding attendants and a name like 'The Claw'.

"Come on, Kara." Kagome teased. "Not afraid are you?"

"I'm not afraid!" Kara shouted and, to demonstrate her bravery, ripped the blindfold off.

The room was full of women and a very few way too happy looking men. There were even more parties like her own. The most shocking thing about the place was that the staff, as far a she could see, was all male. Not to mention shirtless, buff, and wearing black leather pants.

"Oh…my…God!" was all she could say. 

The girls smiled at each other, nodded, and, after they finally got their eyes off of all the cute waiters, looked through the menus. 

A handsome young man came up to them.

"Hello, ladies. I'm Ian and I'll be your server tonight." 

All the girls could do was stare. He seemed to enjoy it and even gave them a satisfied smirk.

"Can I start you off with some drinks?"

"Sprite please."

"Coke here, please." 

Once all the orders were written down, he decided to stay around and flirt for just a little bit.

"So, do you girls come here often?"

"No, we're just here tonight because it's her bachelorette party." one of the bride's maids spilled.

"And we flew in from Tokyo." Sango said, referring to Kagome and herself.

"All the way from Tokyo, huh? Well I'll be sure to tell the boys before they go on stage." 

"On stage?" Kara gulped.

"Yes, miss, but I don't want to spoil the show for you." Ian replied.

"I think we're ready to order our meals too." Sango stated looking around at the other girls who had put their menus away.

"Now I'll go put these orders in for you gorgeous ladies." With that he left.

All watched him leave. (OKAY! they watched his ass as he left…details, details) 

"What kind of place is this?" Kara asked when their waiter was out of sight. 

Kagome handed Kara a brochure from her purse. It read:

__

The Claw welcomes all of our lovely female guests, ages 18 and up. Come on in to dine, talk, and enjoy the show. Our all male staff will cater to your every need and is always polite to our guests. 

We have some of the best culinary chefs in the known world to cook your meals. For your benefit, only the finest products that pass our high standards will be permitted to go in any of our entries. 

The show is perhaps the best part of dining here. A different show is selected for each night of the week. All, however, are an overall very enjoyable experience.

Our specialization is in doing birthday and bachelorette parties, but come on in any time for a good meal, low prices, and, of course, the show. 

Kara was still confused. "What kind of show are they talking about Kris?" 

Colorful lights started whirling around. 

"I guess we'll find out now."

****

After the show was over and the girls had eaten their meals, they left.

"Now Kara," one of the girls joked, "I bet that wasn't so bad."

"I think I might have to tell Jason about this." 

A collective "NO!" was heard throughout the girls. 

"Why in the hell would you tell him about this?!" Sango shouted.

"I don't want to feel guilty on my honeymoon." was Kara's reply.

"I thought you were _supposed_ to feel guilty on your honeymoon." Kagome said with raised eyebrows. 

An uncomfortable silence came upon the girls before they all started cackling like morons right there in the parking lot. 

"Come on you idiots. Let's get home."

********************

My Notes:

I liked the way this turned out. Guess where the boys go. FLUFFY'S! I couldn't resist. Read it when it's up! It starts to get a plot! *GASP!*

--Lady Netiri


	10. The Bachelor Party

Hi! Told you I'd update this a bit sooner. Well, here you are! Oh and don't forget to review once you're done. I love getting reviews. I don't really care if you review a month after this chapter is posted, JUST REVIEW! Please…

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Disclaimer: I don't own Inu-Yasha. I also don't own Barney. (Thank the lord!)

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The Bachelor Party

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The boys were having no problems; all they had to do to was throw on a pair of jeans and a T-shirt and they were ready to go.

"All right boys," the blindfolded Jason asked, "Where are you taking me?" 

"To have a little fun," one of the groomsmen said with an evil snicker. 

"Matt, what are you scheming?" he asked coldly.

The named man ignored him.

"Inu, where are they taking me?" 

"Like I'm gonna spoil the surprise!" Inu-Yasha laughed. "But I will give you one clue…"

"What's that?" Jason asked eagerly.

"Let's just say that all the morals Barney taught ya just went down the drain."

"And that's putting it mildly!" Miroku chimed in. 

The rest of the groomsmen that were shoved into the SUV were snickering evilly. 

"I have a feeling this isn't gonna turn out very good…" Jason moaned.

"Here we are boys!" Matt, the driver, called as he parked.

"Where would here be exactly?" Jason asked.

"Fluffy's!" Matt exclaimed happily as he removed Jason's blindfold.

The name took it's time to register in the groom-to-be's mind. When it clicked, it clicked.

"You took me to FLUFFY'S!?!?!?!"

"Yup!" Miroku said gleefully. 

"I can't go in there! Kara'll kill me if she finds out!" 

"My lips are sealed." Miroku said making a zipping motion across his lips.

All the boys nodded in agreement.

"I'll go in there when hell freezes over and pigs fly!"

***

"Hey, boys, you wanna go skiing in hell?" Inu-Yasha asked as they sat down at their table.

"Or go shoot down some bacon?" Miroku suggested. "I hear it's a real problem that they're perching on telephone poles."

After much kicking and screaming, they had somehow managed to get Jason inside the building. All had promised never to tell a word of this to anybody on the terms that they would be slaughtered on sight.

"Hi, boys." a sexily coy voice greeted them. 

All current conversation immediately stopped so that the boys could see the waitress in a very kinky maid style outfit waiting to take their orders. Miroku then decided that he would need a cold shower tonight.

Then some of the girls started dancing on stage in much less than appropriate attire.

Oh, yes… a VERY cold shower was in store for him tonight.

"What'll ya be having?" she asked.

"Water…" was the collective squeak that came from all the men. So Miroku wasn't the only one in need of a cold shower that night...

***

Inu-Yasha was now shooting some pool near the stage.

"Inu-Yasha." the monotone voice said behind him.

Inu-Yasha stood straight and turned to see a slightly taller, more muscular man than himself standing there.

"Sesshomaru?" he asked, now recognizing who he was. "What are you doing here?"

"I own this club." he said, disinterested. "I want to talk to you about something."

"Okay…Shoot." 

"In private, you moron."

Both men walked to an office upstairs, away from the noise. Inside, Sesshomaru sat down and pointed at a chair for Inu-Yasha to do the same. 

"It's been a long time, little brother."

"Ya, sure has." Inu-Yasha said gazing around the elaborately decorated office.

"As I'm sure you know, my job as a federal agent…"

Sesshomaru kept talking but Inu-Yasha wasn't listening. He plopped himself down in the chair and looked at the pictures on his brother's desk. One had him holding a little girl and actually smiling. He'd never seen or heard of the little girl before; not even in the letter he got every once in a blue moon warning him not to mess up their father's estate.

"Who's that?" he asked, cutting Sesshomaru off in mid-sentence.

"Who?" 

"That little girl." Inu-Yasha said pointing to the picture.

"That's Rin."

"Who is she?" 

"You haven't been listening to a word I've been saying, have you?"

"No, not really."

Sesshomaru was just a little bit beyond pissed. He was going out of his way to protect his little brother, and he wasn't even listening to him!

"Inu-Yasha, if we didn't have the same father I wouldn't be doing any of this for you."

"Doing any of what?" 

Inu-Yasha was beyond confused. He couldn't recall any time in his life where 'big brother' had helped him. Used him as a punching bag and called it strength training, yes, but that never really helped him out; only gave him bruises. 

"If you had been listening to a word I was saying earlier, you would have a clue. Now, I fear, I must repeat myself."

"Sesshomaru, stop talking fancy and get to the point."

"Yes, I suppose I should put it in layman's terms for you. Some bad men are after you, I got you and your friends a condo here, and I still haven't gotten that stain out of my ceremonial kimono you messed with."

"Sesshomaru, I'm not a retard! Elaborate on the circumstances of the danger and your purchase of a condominium for my friends and I."

Inu-Yasha was quite pleased with himself that he had used some pretty sounding words. Then he remembered what Sesshomaru said about the kimono.

"You're still pissed off about the kimono!? That happened, like, five years ago!"

"That was just something I threw in to see if you were spacing out again."

"Oh, so you fixed it?"

"No, it's still got that ugly lipstick stain on it. How you managed to get lipstick on the belt, I'll never want to know."

"It was--"

"I'LL **NEVER** WANT TO KNOW!"

"Fine, be that way." Inu-Yasha said with a huff. 

"Now, as I was saying, there's a major problem with the WPP and leaking through some corrupted agent."

"WPP?"

"**W**itness **P**rotection **P**rogram, you idiot. You didn't forget you were on it, did you?"

"Uh, no."

Sesshomaru rubbed his temples, feeling the oncoming headache dealing with his younger brother always dealt him. 

"Anyway, I've found out that Naraku has raised the price on your head. Any idea why? Other than you know his secrets, I mean."

Inu-Yasha's blood boiled over that name. He was the dirty son of a bitch that caused him and Kikyo to break up. After all these years he still couldn't understand it. Naraku was trouble and Kikyo knew it, yet she still went with him.

"Not a clue."

***

One of the dancers was eyeing the group from the moment they came in; one in particular: Inu-Yasha. Her eyes watched him as he left with his brother, the federal agent. That mutt; she'd recognize Inu-Yasha anywhere. She'd left him for that handsome rich man, Naraku. What a mistake that was: leaving Inu-Yasha for that son of a bitch. He treated her like dirt and used her like a fork; shoveling money into his greedy mouth. 

Naraku was practically a god in the black market, but he sure as hell didn't know how to treat a lady, or anybody else for that manner. He rarely even talked to clients face-to-face. Oh, no, he was much too important to be bothered with petty things like his own business; that's what he had his pawns for. And anybody that escaped his confidence was quickly and quite gruesomely executed. 

***

Several hours later, all the men walked out of the building in a dazed and partially happy silence and got into the SUV. 

Inu-Yasha recalled the unexpected conversation with his brother. An ironic twist of fate was that his ex-girlfriend was dancing there. The very same girl that had left him for the money-hungry, son of a bitch, Naraku. He was sure she hadn't seen him, so he let it go; he was more worried about what his bother had told him.

__

~*~

"Sesshomaru, stop talking fancy and get to the point."

"Yes, I suppose I should put it in layman's terms for you. Some bad men are after you, I got you and your friends a condo here, and I still haven't gotten that stain out of my ceremonial kimono you messed with."

"Sesshomaru, I'm not a retard! Elaborate on the circumstances of the danger and your purchase of a condominium for my friends and I."

~*~

"Now, as I was saying, there's a major problem with the WPP and leaking through some corrupted agent."

"WPP?"

"**W**itness **P**rotection **P**rogram, you idiot. You didn't forget you were on it, did you?"

"Uh, no."

Sesshomaru rubbed his temples, feeling the oncoming headache dealing with his younger brother always dealt him. 

"Anyway, I've found out that Naraku has raised the price on your head. Any idea why? Other than you knowing his secrets, I mean."

"Not a clue."

"Well, he has. Since you're our only credible witness so far, we need to keep you safe. That's where the condo comes in."

***************************

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My notes:

I didn't go into very much detail as to the place the guys were. Why? Well because I'm sure you can all use your imaginations to put some type of picture together of the type of place "Fluffy's" is. _*cough**stripclub**cough!* _Excuse me, I have a bit of a cold.

Originally, chapters 9&10 were going to be just one huge single chapter, but I changed that when I added the *snort* little conversation with Sesshy. That would've pushed the chapter to six pages and some people just don't…oh hell, enough with my explanations! Just review damnit! *gets smacked in the back of the head by Raven* *glares at Raven* …Please… Oh and this is Raven! Tee hee hee. He belongs to me...my muse… say hi, Raven!

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Raven: ignore her… just please review. It'll make her update sooner. Not to mention happy… when she's happy, the world is a better place…for me…

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Netiri: thanx for the reviews so far! Few though they may be… Oh and ignore hunchback for the most part. She's one of my friends from skewl and she likes to give me a hard time about needless things. Did I mention that she's a die hard Beatles fanatic? Its kinda obvious if you read the chapter I let her write for me in 'I Never'. Anyway, thanx much for reviews! 

--Lady Netiri


	11. Someone's in the Doghouse

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Netiri: I'm back again! And guess who's with me! Raven!

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Raven: Lucky me…

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Netiri: You know you love it. Anyhoo, onto the chapter!

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Disclaimer: Is this really necessary? We _all_ know that it's utterly impossible for me to own Inu-Yasha. If you look at my drawings of him you'd see that. Well, I have gotten better…but I'm still not good enough! *runs away crying*

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Someone's in the Doghouse

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The boys returned to the hotel at about midnight. Little did they know that the girls had been waiting for them… Or had been trying at least.

The room was pitch black. Inu-Yasha opened the door slowly. A single trail of light from the street fluttered through the opening and landed on the beds. What surprised him was that on each bed was a sleeping girl. 

"What the hell?!" Inu-Yasha growled.

"Be quiet, Inu-Yasha. It's not polite to wake the sleeping." Miroku said in a matter-of-factly voice. 

Miroku opened the door a little further so he could enter the room. As he did a small bell rang, waking both the girls.

"And where exactly have you two been?" Kagome asked as she groggily rubbed her eyes.

"Yes, where?" Sango partially growled.

"What are you two?!" Miroku gasped. "Ninjas?!" 

"Just smart, Miroku." Sango said with pointedly raised eyebrows.

Kagome flicked on the lights. She got out of the bed and walked over to the boys.

"Inu-Yasha, answer the question." she demanded.

"We were with Jason."

"Where with Jason?" Sango prodded.

"Where with Jason…?" Miroku gulped.

Sango was starting to get a pretty good idea of where the boys had been. 

"You sound like you have a guilty conscience, Miroku." Kagome said, strolling over to him. Her arms were tucked behind her back and Miroku could have mistaken her for an interrogator if it hadn't been for her pink bunny pajamas.

"N-no I don't!" Miroku vehemently stated.

"That's not very convincing." Sango hissed, mimicking Kagome's pose in front of Miroku.

Inu-Yasha closed the door behind himself and pushed past Miroku.

"And just where do you think you're going, mister?" Kagome growled as she grabbed a lock of silver hair. 

Inu-Yasha jerked back.

"That hurts you know!?" He shouted. 

"Answer the question!" Kagome growled while yanking the hanyou's hair all the harder.

"To take a SHOWER! Do you wanna watch or something?!"

Kagome's stern interrogator look completely died at that point. Her hand dropped Inu-Yasha's hair and her face turned a very deep shade of mortified red. Miroku grabbed Sango's wrist and they both zoomed into the girls' room to give the pair a little 'private time' to discuss this little event. The door slammed shut leaving Kagome and Inu-Yasha alone in the room.

Inu-Yasha glared at the door with a look that might have burned holes right through it if it hadn't been for the fact that he was waiting for an explanation from Kagome.

"Well?" Inu-Yasha growled after a moment of uncomfortable silence.

"Well, what?" Kagome squeaked.

"Why wouldn't you let me go?"

"I-I wanted you to…TO ANSWER MY QUESTION, NIMROD!" Kagome's tone changed mid-sentence causing Inu-Yasha to flinch. "WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?!"

"Feh!" 

"Don't you 'Feh!' me you overgrown mutt!" Kagome shouted, pulling once again on those handy silver locks.

Inu-Yasha was taken aback. He must have really pissed Kagome off for her to call him an overgrown mutt and a nimrod. Suddenly he got an idea.

"I could ask you the same thing, missy." he hissed back at her through clenched teeth. 

Inu-Yasha took a step closer to Kagome, growled and sniffed. She took a step back but refused to let go of his hair. 

"W-what are you doing?" 

Kagome was thoroughly baffled by this instant change in demeanor. He went from confused to angry to psycho puppy in a matter of three minutes!

"You smell like other men." Inu-Yasha growled, stepping closer and closing the gap between them. 

"Why?" he growled sinisterly, bringing his face down to her level.

All Kagome could do was gulp. This was _not_ the way her Inu-Yasha acted. She could only hope he'd let it go or that Sango or Miroku would come in the room just in the nick of time to save her.

"Well?"

****

In the other room, Sango and Miroku were actually watching TV and not eavesdropping for a change. Sango, for one, was very absorbed in the show and wasn't really paying much attention to Miroku. He, on the other hand, couldn't seem to keep his mind, or hands for that matter, off her. 

After about the sixth time she felt something suspiciously warm moving to her butt, Sango snapped.

"WHAT THE HELL IS YOUR PROBLEM!?!?!?!"

Instead of spitting back some cute little comment about his hands having 'a mind of their own', Miroku asked a question.

"Sango, how long have we known each other?"

"Where did that come from?!" Sango cried.

Miroku stared into her eyes.

Sango stared back. 

…

…

…

"Okay, okay, I give up! Just blink already, you're giving me a complex!"

Miroku grinned and blinked.

"Since pre-k I think. Why?"

"You seem so uncomfortable around me. It's really ironic when you think about it. I mean we've know each other for the largest part of our lives and yet you still push me away."

"Damn straight! You can't just come up behind someone and grope their ass! Maybe you didn't know this, but girls find it revolting!"

Miroku nodded his understanding.

Sango was about to lecture him further on the proper way to act around women when they heard Inu-Yasha growl maliciously Kagome scream. Both instantly jumped and ran to the dividing door, swung it open and stared at the scene on the bed.

Inu-Yasha was on top of Kagome and appeared to be clawing at her. Kagome was kicking and crying wildly underneath him. Her hands were trying to push him off but his superior strength and weight was way too much for her.

"I'll get you now, Kagome! You'll pay for seeing those other men!" he said with a playful edge in his voice.

Playful…?

"S-stop it Inu-Yasha! That tickles!"

Sango and Miroku looked at each other puzzled.

"Tickles?"

At second glance, they found the scene totally different. Inu-Yasha wasn't clawing at Kagome; he was tickling her. Kagome wasn't crying; she was laughing.

Then Inu-Yasha looked up and discovered that they had company.

"What the hell are you two doing here?!" he barked.

Miroku was the first to speak up. "Well, I_ sleep _here so…"

"Not anymore." Inu-Yasha growled.

Everybody but Inu-Yasha looked confused at that statement.

"Inu-Yasha, what the hell are you talking about?" Kagome asked from underneath him. Then she realized her position. "And GET OFF ME!"

He blushed heavily and moved himself to the other side of the room. 

"Like I was saying, we're not sleeping here anymore."

All three of the others demanded: "Explain!"

"Alright, alright, don't bite my head off! I ran into Sesshomaru and he said he bought me a condo down on the beach for while we were staying here. All this junk is connected with his job, so I don't know very much about it."

"Where did you see him?" Kagome asked suspiciously. 

"I can't exactly remember, but I saw him tonight sometime." Inu-Yasha lied.

"But wait," Miroku mused, "the only place we went tonight was Fluffy's…"

"YOU WENT TO FLUFFY'S!?!?!?!?" both girls screamed. 

"Smooth move, Miroku!" Inu-Yasha growled accusingly at his friend while he smacked him over the head. 

The girls were not as angry as they could have been, but were still pretty miffed. Not so much about the place the boys had gone, but because they had _lied_ about it. Well, not exactly lied, but not telling was close enough as far as the girls were concerned!

"Inu-Yasha," Kagome said in an icy tone with narrowed eyes.

"What?" Inu-Yasha gulped.

"You had better hope there's a doghouse at this condo."

"Why?" was the general question from everybody.

"BECAUSE YOU'RE GONNA BE STAYING IN IT!" Kagome shouted.

**************************************

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Responses: 

Kikyo & Naraku are still together in a weird sort of way. You'll see later on how it works out. 

Thanx to everybody else who reviewed…or will review in the future… Just one question though: would you review more if I put your names up here in my notes? Cause I'll do it if you'll review more!

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Netiri: Like it? 

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Raven: Well, it took you long enough! You had Hunch calling for your blood! *growls inwardly* and she took it out on me…

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Netiri: Don't make me chain you to Inu-Yasha again!

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Raven: When the hell did you ever do that?!

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Netiri: Last Friday.

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Raven: You chained me to your DOG! Not Inu-Yasha!

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Netiri: My dog _is _Inu-Yasha, see? *picks up a black, short-haired Chihuahua and strokes him lovingly* 

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Raven: Your dog's name is Max! You're gonna confuse the shit outa the poor thing!

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Netiri: *in cutesy-wootsy voice* Don't you worry Inu-Yasha, I'll take care of that mean 'ol muse. *bonks Raven on the head*

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Max: *looks at her like she's crazy*

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Raven: *rubbing head* YOU SEE! Even your DOG has more brains than you!

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Netiri: Why are you beating around the bush?! If you just want to ask the nice people out there for reviews, than ask! Sheesh! *looks down at Max* Max, isn't he stupid?

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Raven: *shakes head* Why do I even try? Please review!

Reviews = ^-^ = faster update!

There's a button down there. **USE IT!!!!!**

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	12. A Cold Summer Night?

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Disclaimer: I swear, I don't own any of the characters from Inu-Yasha! Though one or two may have found themselves trapped in my basement with Raven. ^-^

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Raven: Netiri, you're cruel.

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Miroku: I beg to differ, Raven. While this chaining of us to the couch is inhumane, the Lady _has_ been taking very good care of us otherwise.

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Inu-Yasha: Speak for yourself! 

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Netiri: Hey, how'd you get that gag off?!

More warm fuzziness below! *claps* ~/\ ^.^ /\~ *yippee!*

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A Cold Summer Night?

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Kouga grunted angrily as he left the police station.

__

Sesshomaru owes me big time for this one, he thought to himself. **_That _**was **definitely **not fun! _That_ of course, meant getting arrested. 

He had been on assignment, looking for that Kikyo chick, when that other girl showed up. She had fit the description perfectly, save one flaw: it wasn't her. Ah, yes, that was definitely a problem.

The original plan had been for Kouga to follow her, get an idea of where she was staying, and ultimately get information on Naraku. All that changed when this look-alike showed up and screamed. It had given Kouga the perfect opportunity to bring "Kikyo" into custody. When it was all said and done, he was amazed at how similar one person could be to another without having any relation what so ever. 

Kouga learned a valuable lesson from this mistake: **ALWAYS** have backup plans! He intended to have one from this day forward, especially on this particular case.

That Naraku was a slippery bastard with friends in high places. He had someone high up in the government who was leaking information. Kouga had suspicions of his own as to who could be leaking this. After all, there were some pretty shady types working at head quarters, but that was to be expected. The people he worked with were the best of the best and were completely engrossed in their work.

Kouga's thoughts continued to drift until he hit a brick wall. Literally. He had been so deep in his mental review of the case he had failed to notice that he was walking straight into an alley.

"What the--?!" he cut himself off. There were two people talking nearby.

"Gusty, we need that information." a male voice demanded.

"What's in it for me?" the female voiced asked.

Kouga blinked in disbelief. It couldn't be her! Could it…?

"You know very well what you'll get, Gusty." the male said, obviously aggravated.

"Just making sure, _Onigumo_." the woman spat out with hate.

"You're smart not to use my name, but don't push me. Your sister is safe for now, but if you escape my confidence…" He snapped his fingers. "Have we reached an understanding?"

"Yes, sir."

Kouga peeked from around the alley wall. He saw four forms standing next to a black limo. There were two brawny males; bodyguards he guessed. There was another male standing in front of them. He had been the one talking, Kouga was sure of it. The other form was a female. Though it was too dim to make out her features, Kouga recognized her.

__

It's her. Kouga thought. _She betrayed us!_

****

After much explaining and a very interesting phone conversation with Kara, the group decided to go see this 'wonderful' condo that Sesshomaru had bought. Or rather, his company bought.

It was a nice place right off the beach with two bedrooms, a full kitchen, laundry room, and one and a half baths. All this passed right over Kagome's head however. She was angry and it was one o'clock in the morning. She felt she couldn't bring herself to listen to anything but her body's most irresistible urge: sleep. She was still perfectly dressed to do so.

And that is exactly where the dilemma started. Four people, two beds, and you can already see the problem. 

Miroku, being the pervert he was and most likely forgetting Sango's earlier scolding(s), insisted on sleeping with her. Sango, feeling the effects of the late hour, yawned her protest. Inu-Yasha protested any of the suggested solutions possibly just to get a rise out of everybody. Kagome just didn't care anymore. As long as she got six hours of sleep on a decent bed she would be fine. 

Then, after about the seventh time Sango slapped Miroku, Kagome finally snapped.

"Shut up!" she screamed.

Everybody's mouth instantly shut right in the middle of their current word. She looked out the window before continuing. To her amusement she saw a doghouse.

"Sango will sleep in that bedroom," Kagome stated pointing to the bedroom furthest down the hall. "Miroku will sleep on the couch," she said pointing at the object. "And I will sleep in that bedroom," she finished pointing to the bedroom closest to her.

"Where exactly am I supposed to sleep?" Inu-Yasha asked a little aggravated.

"There of course!" Kagome said, pointing out the window, like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Inu-Yasha looked out the window, as did the others, and was not as terribly amused as they were. Kagome watched him go purple with rage before leaving for her bedroom. 

"Bitch!" Inu-Yasha called after her. 

When she didn't turn to face him, he went in the room after and slammed the door. Sango and Miroku were curious, but sleep and their lives were on highest priority right now. They each went to their own designate sleeping areas, much to Miroku's ire.

Inside the bedroom, the argument went on.

"Inu-Yasha, will you shut up and go to your house like a good puppy?" Kagome taunted him. 

"Will you quit acting like I'm a pet and you're my master!?" Inu-Yasha hissed. 

"But it's so muck fun!"

"Technically, for something to be fun, both participants have to enjoy it."

Kagome noted his smart assy smirk that perfectly complimented his tone of voice. She countered, "Well, if you want to get technical, than I'm your mistress, not master." 

Kagome then got into bed and faced away from Inu-Yasha. He smirked in the darkness.

"Fine then, **mistress**," he said with extra emphasis on that word, "either move over or prepare to be squished. I'm sleeping here."

"You wouldn't dare." Kagome said from under her covers.

"I wouldn't bet on that."

Kagome then heard him strip down to only (God she hoped) his boxers. Then there was a slight bounce as he got onto the bed. She felt the warmth from his body and his legs brushed against hers as he covered himself.

"Told you so." he said in a quiet, victorious voice.

Then they both drifted off to sleep, amazed at what Inu-Yasha had done.

****

At about four in the morning, Miroku woke up. He was freezing! The air conditioner in this place was definitely much more powerful than the one at the hotel had been. 

Miroku sat up on the couch with his teeth chattering. How was he going to warm up? He was never comfortable sleeping in more than his boxers, so putting on more clothes was a definite no. Miroku didn't dare touch the heat/ac dial, lest he face Inu-Yasha's wrath in the morning.

"Speaking of Inu-Yasha…" Miroku mused, "Where the hell is he?"

Miroku looked around the darkened room and expected to find Inu-Yasha crashed out on the loveseat or floor somewhere. When he didn't, he looked in the next most-likely place: the doghouse. Anybody with half a brain would tell you that not listening to an angry woman was a serious death wish. 

Miroku looked out the window but didn't find his friend. He was seriously starting to doubt that Inu-Yasha had a **_quarter_** of a brain, much less half of one!

Just as Miroku began wondering about all the awful things Kagome could have done to Inu-Yasha, he heard his telltale snore. The odd thing was it was coming from Kagome's room. 

"So the dog faired better than I thought."

His friend found, Miroku could now concentrate on getting warm. 

A though struck him; it was undoubtedly warmer with two people than with just one. Maybe he could convince Sango. After all, the worst she could do was maim him, right? He made a mental note not to make it seem obvious.

Miroku walked down the hallway, teeth chattering all the while. Surely it had to be fifty degrees in the damned place! He slowly opened Sango's door to find her very much awake, shivering from the cold. She noticed him.

"W-what are you doing here?" she asked.

"I got cold."

She looked at him a minute before turning on the light for a better view. She gasped.

"Miroku, that has got to be the understatement of the year! Your lips are turning blue!"

Ah, so nature was on his side.

"I was hoping to get some extra blankets, but I see you need them far more than me, Lady Sango." 

Miroku turned and started to leave. He heard the rustle of sheets as Sango jumped out of the bed. She caught up to him and placed a hand on his bare shoulder gently. He turned around to face her.

"Miroku, you can stay with me if you promise to behave yourself." she said to him.

Miroku smiled at the caution in her words. Her eyes narrowed a fraction.

"I understand, Sango." Miroku said. 

Her expression lightened once again. Miroku then placed one hand on her lower back and guided her over to the bed. Sango got in. Miroku turned off the light before following suite. He made a mental note to thank whatever deity had caused this sudden change in Sango's attitude.

An understandably uncomfortable silence had fallen between the two. Miroku broke it by simply saying "thanks".

"You have such a way with words, Miroku!" Sango teased. "You could be a poet!"

They both giggled and eventually drifted off to sleep.

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Responses: 

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Purple-Sakure44: well SPANKS!

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Hunch: I don't wanna talk about it no more! Though I did like the movie… And you'd better keep those minions of yours in line!

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Japanese_Dragon: You really think so? I thought it was kinda corny but I'm glad you like it!

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Allysono123: That was done is a sudden twist of my mood. I got the sudden need to be abusive… don't worry about the spelling, as long as I can read it I don't complain. I'm not very good myself….

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BishieMunky: Fluffy enough?

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Skie2: Glad you like it! But Raven is mine….*glomps him* **MINE!**

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Netiri: *relishes in the praise* Thank you so much for the reviews! See! I told you: reviews=happy me=faster updates! 

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Raven: Who the hell is Gusty?! How does Kouga know her?! What exactly does this have to do with Inu-Yasha?!?!?!?!?!?! And GET THE HELL OFF ME!

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Inu-Yasha: Yah, what _does_ this have to do with me?

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Netiri: *returns to seat with a complete look of wisdom on her face* You shall find out in time, grasshoppers.

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Raven: Yes, sensei. …Hey, wait a minute! I'm older than you!

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Netiri: Your point? I've had a higher level of schooling than you, therefore I am smarter than you and have a bigger vocabulary, so shut up.

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Miroku: I got to sleep with Sango?! Thank you much, Netiri-sama!

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Netiri: Whoa! Down boy! *jumps on top of computer desk to avoid Miroku*

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Inu-Yasha: Disgusting. …Hey, why'd I call Kagome mistress? 

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Raven: Netiri, you have a sick mind.

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Netiri: One, that's not what I was thinking about when I wrote this. Two, Miroku has a worse mind than me. Three, get him AWAY! *beats Miroku off with a shoe* And four, **REVIEW!**

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	13. Another Exciting Morning

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Disclaimer: *reads cue card held up by Raven* I don't own Inu-Yasha nor the rights to him, the show, or any of it's characters. *rolls eyes* Feh! What a boatload of shit! I do-- *Raven slaps his hand over her mouth*

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Another Exciting Morning

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Kagome woke up the next morning relishing in the warmth she felt. She couldn't quite place it. Curious, she turned over and came face-to-face with a sleeping Inu-Yasha.

__

Why is he here?! she mentally screamed

~*~*~ Flashback~*~*~

__

"Fine then, **mistress**," he said with extra emphasis on that word, "either move over or prepare to be squished. I'm sleeping here."

"You wouldn't dare." Kagome said from under her covers.

"I wouldn't bet on that."

Kagome then heard him strip down to only his boxers. Then there was a slight bounce as he got onto the bed. She felt the warmth from his body and his legs brushed against hers as he covered himself.

"Told you so." he said in a quiet, victorious voice.

~*~*~End~*~*~ 

"Oh, right…that." Kagome mumbled quietly.

Inu-Yasha moaned slightly and his eyes fluttered open at the sound of her voice. He gasped in surprise at the closeness of their faces. They stared at each other like two deer in the headlights for a moment or two.

"Umm… Good morning, Kagome." Inu-Yasha mumbled to save them both from further embarrassment. 

"Good morning, Inu." Kagome replied quietly, blushing up to her ears in the realization she'd just used his nickname. 

Inu-Yasha gulped.

"We should probably get up now." he grumbled.

Kagome nodded and got up. She went over to the corner where she'd thrown down her bags the previous night and rummaged through them until she found something suitable to wear. She looked over her shoulder to see that Inu-Yasha had yet to leave.

"Do you mind?" she asked with raised eyebrows.

Inu-Yasha looked a little confused for a moment. Then he noticed Kagome had her outfit for the day in hand and smirked.

"Not at all."

***

Miroku woke up after hearing a series of several loud thuds and someone shouting "pervert" repeatedly. He expected to open his eyes to find himself with several large lumps and bruises decorating his body. He didn't; all he saw was Sango sleeping against his chest in the morning light.

__

It should be a sin to be that beautiful, he thought as he brushed a stray strand of hair out of her face. 

Sango turned over so that she was facing him. She snuggled deeper into his chest and moaned softly in her sleep. Miroku was beaming. In sleep, a lot of things were revealed. 

Miroku lay further down into his pillow with his arm wrapped around Sango. He knew they would have to get up soon, but why ruin the moment? Besides, he was sure that Inu-Yasha would barge in any minute now and do that himself.

Yup. Any minute now…

"Miroku! Wake up! You can't sleep all day!" 

That Miroku was a regular old fortuneteller.

Sango stirred. Her eyes fluttered open and she was greeted with the sight of Miroku's chest. She just blinked for a few minutes, her brain trying to compute what was going on. 

"Uh, Miroku…?" Sango asked after a while.

"Yes, Sango?"

"Could you let go of me? I have to go take a shower." she said blushing.

"I do believe that is a copout, Sango, but if you must…" Miroku said, releasing her.

Sango got up, dug up her clothes for the day, and raced with Kagome to get to the shower first.

********

"Sesshomaru, I need to talk to you." Kouga demanded as he slammed Sesshomaru's office door closed.

"I don't seem to have a choice in the matter." Sesshomaru said calmly from behind his desk. 

"Do you know who 'Gusty' is?" Kouga asked as he sat down.

"No, Kouga. I don't. Who is Gusty?" 

"Kagura."

Sesshomaru's eyebrows lifted a little at this. 

"I suggest you get to the point, Kouga." Sesshomaru said dryly. "I have no interest in the little 'pet names' you people come up with."

"This isn't a pet name, Sesshomaru. I think she' s spy."

"A spy? For who?" 

"Naraku."

Sesshomaru's expression faltered. 

"Those are some pretty strong allegations. I hope you have proof." 

"Not exactly." Kouga sighed.

"Then why did you bother me?"

"Because I heard her talking to someone."

"Whom?"

"A man named Onigumo. Well, she called him Onigumo but he said something about her being smart not to say his real name."

"So you see Kagura talking to a man she calls 'Onigumo' and you automatically assume she's a spy for Naraku?"

"In in a dark alley." Kouga added.

"Okay. You see Kagura talking to a man called Onigumo in a dark alley." Sesshomaru amended.

"Oh, and the guy had two bodyguards."

Sesshomaru growled a little bit. "So she's talking to a man called Onigumo, in a dark alley, and with two bodyguards." Sesshomaru raised an eyebrow. "Am I missing anything?" 

"He had a black limo and they were talking about information." Kouga said quickly.

Sesshomaru leaned forward and placed his forehead in the palms of his hands. He would much rather be arguing with Rin about putting her clothes away than talking to his partner. Seriously, the man was dense with a capital D.

"Let's try again." Sesshomaru growled as he brought his head out of his hands. "You saw Kagura talking to a man she called Onigumo about information, in a dark alley, with two body guards, near a limo, correct?"

Kouga nodded his head.

Sesshomaru sighed. "Do I dare ask what kind of information?"

*******

"Okay girlies, we're going to the salon!" Kara exclaimed happily when her entire half of the wedding party was present.

"Really? I thought we were going to go roll in some mud." Kagome said sarcastically.

Kara playfully smacked Kagome on the back of the head as the bridal party made their way to the door.

******

Inu-Yasha and Miroku were with Jason and the rest of the boys playing football to pass the time until the wedding, which was to be held at three-thirty that afternoon. Little did they know they were being watched. Specifically, Inu-Yasha was being watched.

"Blue 42. Hut, hut!" Jason called and the boys went off into another play, continuously oblivious of their stalker.

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Responses:

BishieMunky: thanx. I really am trying to make the chapters longer, but as you can see its not exactly working out….

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Hunch: whatever you say, Hunch…

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Skie2: hmm… okay. You can have Raven on Sundays until May. Just don't put gum in his hair.

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Allysono123: yes, betting with the authoress is never very fair.

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Purple-Sakura44: ^-^ thanx! Reviews are good, nice, and all other synonyms of those words!

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Mirokuluver: I don't hit hard…

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Netiri: Raise your hand if you guessed 'Gusty' was Kagura (tell me if I spelled that wrong). *sees that almost all reviewers have their hands raised* I thought so. It WAS a very corny nickname, after all. 

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Raven: Since when are you leasing me out to people?!

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Netiri: Since one of my favorite stories updates on Sundays and I don't want you corrupting my review. And remember when I said Kouga would make a comeback? Well he'll be making it in this fic! Somewhere… Till next time!


	14. Bridezilla and the Ice Machine Adventure...

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Disclaimer: hmm…. Own Inu-Yasha? Let's look at my to do list. …Rule the world… Kill whoever taught Hunch how to play harmonica… Convince parents to buy me a horse… Ah! Here it is: Own Inu-Yasha. Nope, not crossed off. Damn.

Also, I do not mean to offend anybody by the religion issues the wedding itself brings up. I've seen "A Wedding Story" so many times [courtesy of mom] that I know all the vows by heart (I actually married one of my friends to a tree once… quite funny, really…) and I'd rather put all that useless knowledge to use. So… Think nothing of the vows! Enough of my babbling! Onto:

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Bridezilla and the Ice Machine Adventures

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Kara sat in the salon chair and sighed as the stylist fiddled with her hair. Today was her wedding day! She knew she was going to be nervous but seriously, losing her breakfast? 

"Kara?" Kagome asked, a little concerned. "Do you feel well?"

"Just dandy." Kara said wryly. 

"That's no attitude to have on your wedding day, missy!" Sango scolded playfully. 

The rest of the bridal party giggled and continued to scold Kara until she burst out laughing so hard the stylist was having a hard time getting her curls to stay in place. 

****

The guys were bushed. Two straight hours of football-turned-rugby will do that to you. Unfortunately the only reason the game had stopped was because the best man had injured his ankle. Things were not looking up for Jason and the groomsmen.

"Shit, Jason, I can't move the stupid thing!" the injured man complained.

"So I guess its safe to say that you can't walk down the aisle, eh Matt?" Jason asked.

The man shook his head.

"Sorry, buddy. I can't walk."

"The that means we're one man short for the procession…" Jason mused. "And I can't let the maid of honor go down by herself…"

Jason looked over at Inu-Yasha, who was tying his shoe. Feeling eyes burning into the top of his head, Inu-Yasha looked up. 

"Why are you looking at me that way?" he asked cautiously. 

"I have an idea!" Jason announced a little too loudly with an odd enthusiasm that made Inu-Yasha jump. "Inu-Yasha will walk Kagome up the aisle to make things look pretty. Matt here, will already be up on the alter so he won't have to move that nasty ankle."

And with that, Jason helped the injured man into one of the cars and was shortly followed by the slightly confused group, minus Inu-Yasha.

"Don't I get a choice in the matter?" Inu-Yasha asked, now alone in the deserted, mud-strewn field. 

Inu-Yasha gathered the answer from the way he was being ignored.

"I guess not…"

*****

The girls were at the hotel where the wedding was going to take place in an hour and a half.

"Okay, Kara," her mother said cheerfully once the were all inside the room, "I have to have this talk with you before you get into that wedding dress."

Kara looked fearfully into her mother's eyes. She knew what was coming. The talk. She had friends who were married and they'd told her all about it. The talk… Oh that most dreaded talk that one receives a preview of once you hit puberty and sends shivers down your back henceforth. The talk commonly called 'the birds and the bees' by elementary school teachers, but dubbed some other not-so-nice things by older teens. The one single talk that Kara had been hoping to dodge all her life…was here.

Seeing the look in her cousin's eyes, Kagome shivered. Surely her aunt didn't mean _that_ talk! Not while she was around! Kagome looked at Sango and, seeing that she was wearing the same expression, thought of a quick plan.

"I think I need to use the restroom." Kagome excused herself, pulling Sango along with her out the door. Some of the other girls followed suite.

"Traitors!" Kara called after them.

The door slammed shut abruptly, cutting off anything else Kara was going to scream at them.

Sango, Kagome, and the girls that had followed them, sunk down the bathroom wall. They heard Kara's surprised voice echo off the hallways as she shouted "MOTHER!" several times to the woman. 

"That was a close one…" Kagome said to no one in particular.

All of the girls nodded their agreement.

"Too close…" Sango said.

*****

The boys were all at the hotel now, awaiting the ceremony.

"Remind me what I have to do again?" Inu-Yasha asked Jason for about the hundredth time.

Jason sighed. "Its simple. All you have to do is walk with Kagome up the aisle. Right, left. Right, left."

"Just don't trip." Miroku snickered helpfully.

Now **more** worries flooded to Inu-Yasha's brain. 

__

Oh, shit! What if I trip?!?! Kagome will be so embarrassed… I'll ruin the entire wedding! 

"I don't think I can do this." Inu-Yasha said hurriedly. 

Jason shot a look at Miroku that said "do you _want_ me to hurt you?"

Miroku was able to identify it quickly enough because Sango constantly shot him those looks as did basically any other attractive member of the opposite sex he came across. Though, after last night, he doubted he would be getting very many more… at least not from Sango. 

"Inu-Yasha, you'll be fine." Jason assured him. "Now does anyone know how much time we have left?"

"About an hour." Matt, the injured best man replied. 

Jason snickered. "Ah, then it is time, men!"

"Time for what?" Miroku asked.

"Time to make Kara remember why she said yes to marrying me in the first place, of course!"

"And you are gonna do that how…?" Inu-Yasha asked skeptically. 

"With THIS!" Jason shouted joyfully, while he pulled out a small gray box from his suitcase.

The boys shrank back in fear at Jason's sudden peppiness. The man was grinning from ear to ear. Inu-Yasha and the others wondered if they should want to know what was in that box; Miroku, obviously, was like an impatient two-year-old waiting for that box to be opened.

"What is it?!" Miroku asked excitedly. 

Jason grinned an evil grin. He opened the box slowly like a naughty teen that had something to hide. What was inside caused all the men's eyes to nearly bug out of their heads.

"Are those real?!" Inu-Yasha shouted.

"Oh, but of course!" Jason said.

Inside the box was the most lavishly decorated diamond necklace anybody in that room had seen in the hands of a non-celebrity. Giant, tear-shaped diamonds hung off the golden chain, the largest being front and center.

Jason put the necklace back into the box and closed the lid. 

"Miroku," Jason said handing the box to him, "I want you to take this to room 362. It's by the ice machine. Guard it with your life."

Miroku took the precious box and nodded sagely. 

Inu-Yasha stared at him and Jason in turns, wondering whom the bigger fool was: Jason; for letting **_Miroku_** take the box to the room were the girls were changing, or Miroku; for **_going_** to the room where the girls were changing.

Decisions, decisions…

*****

The girls had returned to the room after Kara's mother walked out looking for them. Now they were all receiving a tongue-lashing from Kara.

"You girls are TRAITORS!"

"Well, Kara," Kagome said shyly, "we didn't need to hear that just yet." 

"You SUCK! ALL OF YOU!" Kara shouted, pointing to each in turn.

"Yes, we suck big time." Sango said seriously. 

Kara looked at Sango with a confused scowl. Sango snickered inside. Kagome's mouth was wide open with surprise at the joke she knew was coming. The other bride's maids had their eyebrows raised in suspicion. 

"But not nearly as big as you!"

It took Kara a moment to register that as a very dirty joke, but when she did, her mouth hung open. Kagome and the other girls were laughing like there was no tomorrow, which there was a slight chance there wouldn't be for Sango.

Kara snapped out of her astonishment and advanced menacingly on poor Sango. It was quite a sight; a woman in a wedding gown chasing one of her party around the couch. 

Interesting…

*****

Miroku wandered the hallways. 

__

How many ice machines can one level have?! Miroku screamed inwardly. 

He had spent the last fifteen minutes going from ice machine to ice machine, looking for that elusive 'Room 326'.

Miroku walked around _another_ corner, into _another_ corridor, with the promise of yet **_another _**ice machine. 

"When will the madness end?!" he moaned, electing some odd looks from an older couple and some children who were out in the hall.

*****

"Shit! I almost forgot!" Kara yipped as she shuffled over to a nightstand.

All the girls looked suspiciously at her. She rummaged around until she found a piece of paper.

"Are those magazine cutouts?" Sango asked, looking over Kara's shoulder.

"It looks like a ransom note." Kagome observed.

Kara giggled and nodded evilly, then read the note out loud.

"To my darling fiancé," Kara began, "as you know we will be getting married in a very short while in front of all of our family and friends. This letter is to let you know I love you, but most importantly it is a warning. This next line should be committed to memory: **IF YOU SMEAR WEDDING CAKE IN MY FACE, THERE WILL BE _NO SEX _ON OUR WEDDING NIGHT!** Love, Bridezilla."

The entire room broke out in hysterical laughter.

"That is priceless!" Kagome exclaimed.

"How long did it take you to think that up?!" Sango asked through giggles.

"About an hour, I'd say…" Kara mused. 

Then Kara handed the carefully folded note to Sango.

"Sango, please take this to Jason. The boys are in room 278."

Sango nodded and left the room, note in hand.

******

Miroku let out a sigh of frustration. So now he'd been out wandering the hallways for about twenty minutes. Twenty-seven ice machines had met with his frustration so far and he was about to make it twenty-eight when he saw Sango, in her bride's maid dress, walking down the hall towards him. 

"My, my, Sango," Miroku said happily as he rushed up to her, "Are you a sight for sore eyes!"

Sango now noticed the man in a tux in front of her.

__

Damn, he looks cute in that tux… Wait! This is Miroku! Miroku = pervert = groping! But he's so cute…and you did sleep with him last night…PERVERT! CUTE!! PERVERT!!! CUTE!!!!

Miroku stared at Sango as she argued with herself mentally. Her expression was shifting from angry to dreamy.

"Uh, Sango…" Miroku said as he put his hand on her shoulder.

She snapped out of her mental row and looked at the man.

__

Hot man in a tux… STOP THAT!

"Y-yes, Miroku?"

"Could you please show me to the room where the girls are changing? I have to deliver this to Kara and I seem to have gotten lost."

"It's right next to the--"

"Ice machine, I know. That doesn't help me much." Miroku growled. "Do you _know_ how many ice machines are on this floor?"

"Twenty-nine, why?"

Miroku's jaw hung open.

"That just figures!"

"What figures?"

"That it would be the last one I'm looking for!"

"Wait a minute," Sango said incredulously, "Do you mean to tell me that you've been to twenty-eight different ice machines?!"

Miroku nodded.

Sango broke out in hysterical laughter.

"You're pathetic!" Sango giggled.

"Oh, so that's the row were gonna walk down…" Miroku said thoughtfully. "Well then… you're beautiful."

Sango was surprised to say the least. She'd just insulted him and he'd complimented her?

__

See, he's not such a jerk after all! WILL YOU BE QUIET?!?!?!

Sango stared pointedly at him. 

"I don't buy it."

"Then will you buy this…?" Miroku said as he stepped towards her. 

Sango's eyes were as wide as saucers; their faces were merely centimeters apart. Miroku put his warm, strong hand on Sango's shoulder and kissed her.

__

He's kissing me! And…I like it…

She hasn't slapped me…I wonder…

Sango was far from slapping Miroku. Actually, she was kissing him back.

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Responses:

Purple-Sakura44: thanx! ^-^

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Mirokuluver: hmm… *looks over shoulder and sees her brother blacked out* I see what you mean…

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Hunch: your Franfran is gonna get a ride to the moon on the end of my foot… EXPRESS ONLY!

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Allysono123: yup! I did that on purpose because…well… just because.

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Skie2: this chappy is a LITTLE bit longer… I've really been trying but with tests to study for, a computer hog for an older brother and a moron for a younger brother, it's been hard to find time to seriously write. But that's what spring break is for, ne?

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Bakuruyhaa: Glad ya feel that way!

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Ah yes… about the tree incident… here's what happened. My friends [who we'll call N, E, and S] and I were goofing around at recess one day [a looooong time ago]. Then N decided she liked this guy [we'll call him T]. Coincidentally, E had named a tree his name [for reasons I still can't figure out]. Then N said she wanted to get married to T so S suggested we marry N and T right then and there. I said I'd do it because I knew all the vows anyway and it would be entertaining. We practiced all recess and towards the end we had it all set up, down to the grass wedding bands [and yes, looking back, I think we may have been _smoking_ grass at the time]. I preformed the "ceremony" and we only just recently stopped teasing each other about it.

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Raven: You're a sick girl, Netiri.

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Netiri: You don't have to rub it in you know…

--**Netiri-sama no Kitsune-hi **{Lady Netiri of Foxfire}

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Review or your **_FAVORITE_** finger (I think we _ALL_ know which one that is) will shrivel up and fall off…

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	15. Wedding Bells, Shotgun Shells!

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Disclaimer: I don't own him… I never will…

Sorry for the wait! Mesa had LOADS of homework and long-term assignments. Evil teachers… ¬ .¬ 

Once again: **no offence is meant by matters of religion.** If you are offended, I assure you, it was done unintentionally. 

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Wedding Bells, Shotgun Shells!

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After what seemed like years, Sango and Miroku broke apart. A girlish blush traveled into Sango's cheeks as she looked up at Miroku's grinning face.

"Come on, Sango," Miroku joked, "you didn't react at all last night and here you are blushing like a school girl because of a kiss!"

An elderly couple that was returning to their room gasped. The man glared at Miroku and then at Sango. While they were returning to their room, Sango heard the woman mutter: "Kids these days."

Miroku chuckled a little bit as the woman angrily slammed her door shut.

As Sango's eyes were on their downward migration to her feet, she caught sight of the small box that Miroku grasped in his hand. She suddenly remembered why she was out in the hall in the first place and checked her watch.

"Oh, shit! The wedding is in a half hour!" Sango exclaimed, a panicked look striking her features. 

Right now she had absolutely no time to find the boys room and give the note to Jason. She had to think of a quick solution. That's when her gaze returned to the bearer of the little gray box: Miroku.

"Miroku, you take this note to Jason and tell him to read it before you guys head down to the chapel. I'll take the box from Jason and make sure Kara gets it." 

Without waiting for a reply of any sort, Sango exchanged the box and note and rushed back to the girls' room as fast as she could in her dress. Miroku blinked for a minute, his brain registering what had just happened.

1. Got asked to take a box to Kara.

2. Got pissed looking for the correct room.

3. Made ice machines pay for angering him.

4. By pure luck, met up with Sango.

5. Kissed the girl of his dreams without her beating him to a bloody pulp.

Sighing happily with himself, Miroku turned in the direction of the guy's room. He began the journey back noting some very angry looking maintenance workers who were fussing over the mangled and broken ice machines.

__

Note to self: don't take anger out on inanimate objects.

****

In the chapel, two agents were conversing on their plans.

"What exactly am I doing again?" Kouga asked.

Sesshomaru rubbed his temples. If he had any hope for his partner before, it was completely abolished; Kouga was simply a moron and, as of now, it couldn't be helped.

"You are going to watch and see if Kikyo or Kagura comes," Sesshomaru said, slightly annoyed, "and let me know if you see them."

Kouga's eyes widened.

"But how will I know if its Kikyo and not that other chick?!" he shouted.

"Will you be quiet!" Sesshomaru hushed him when he got a strange look from several guests and the priest. 

Sesshomaru gave them a reassuring smile that only succeeded in creeping them out all the more.

He retuned to hissing in Kouga's face. "That girl's name is Kagome and she's in the wedding procession, so it's impossible for you to mistake them again."

Kouga nodded, but didn't look convinced.

"Whatever you say, Sess."

"Didn't I tell you NEVER to call me that?!"

"You did? Hmm…"

Oh, yes. Kouga was a complete and utter idiot. And, as some of the now thoroughly freaked out guests thought, Sesshomaru was bipolar.

****

Miroku came back to the guys' room just as Inu-Yasha was leaving it, undoubtedly to look for the said man.

"Where the hell were you?!" Inu-Yasha shouted at him. 

Miroku blissfully walked by him and straight into the room. He handed the note to Jason then flopped on to the couch.

"From Kara." he said simply in a preoccupied voice. "Read."

Inu-Yasha came back in and eyed Miroku suspiciously along with all the other men.

"Miroku," Jason said cautiously, "are you feeling well?"

"Perfect."

Inu-Yasha eyed him suspiciously. Then he came over and kneeled in front of Miroku and started searching his head for bumps, bruises, or anything else that may have suggested a run in with one of the girls.

Inu-Yasha stood up straight to deliver his deduction.

"I pronounce him delusional!"

It took Miroku a moment to register this as an insult, but when he did the others were too far-gone with laughter over the letter. All of them except Jason, that is. He weighed the possible consequences of his actions.

"No fun now?" he said making a motion like a scale dipping to one side with his hands. "Or no fun later?" he finished balancing the 'scale' in opposing ways.

"I'd take no fun later…" Matt said matter-of-factly.

"My thoughts EXACTLY!" Jason said with a dopey grin.

"Smashing cake in her face it is!" Inu-Yasha said jubilantly.

***

Kara fidgeted nervously as she eyed the new necklace Jason had given her. It was gorgeous! She had never seen anything like it.

"Now you have something new, as well!" Kagome said excitedly.

All Kara could do was nod her head merrily as she walked down the hall to the elevator.

***

Inu-Yasha was fussing over his bowtie as the men made their way to the chapel doors. His hand got slapped several times by Miroku who insisted that it was fine. He was backed up by Jason's father, comfortable around new people as he was, who said he would tie Inu-Yasha's hands up if he didn't quit messing with the damn tie.

Jason was uncommonly calm for a groom. After all, this was HIS wedding and he hadn't even started to sweat. Yet.

***

"I can't believe this is it!" Kagome squealed excitedly, bouncing up and down in the sacristy*. 

Kara stared blankly at her.

"You'd think it was her wedding…" Sango said dryly. 

"Just trying to liven things up a little bit…" Kagome said with a pout.

Inu-Yasha, Miroku, and the other men in the procession came into the sacristy. Kagome, Sango, and Kara's eyes nearly popped out of their heads.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING HERE?!" they all shouted at once, pointing at Inu-Yasha and Miroku.

"Excuse me ladies," the priest said calmly, "but we are in a church. Please refrain from that type of language."

"Sorry, Father."

The girls then turned back to the now stunned Inu-Yasha and Miroku.

"Well?" Kagome asked.

"Matt hurt himself and Jack is helping him," Miroku said simply.

"That explains what?" Kara asked.

"Lucky me," Inu-Yasha said dryly with a little sarcastic bounce similar to Kagome's. "I get to be Matt's replacement."

"I, my dear ladies," Miroku said with a very melodramatic bow while taking Sango's hand and kissing it, "am here to take the place of Jack for the procession."

Sango blushed several shades of red.

The priest watched with an amused look on his face. 

That one was a strange man indeed…

***

Sesshomaru stood in accordance to the procession music that was now being played. He saw the groom sweating nervously on the altar. 

Truth be told, the chapel was gorgeous, but it wasn't like Sesshomaru would admit that. He was there for one reason and one reason only: protect Inu-Yasha.

***

It was now Sango and Miroku's turn to start up the aisle. They did so with a smile.

***

Sesshomaru watched the pair walk up. He caught something in the corner of his eye. It was a woman.

Who was it?

Kagura? 

Kikyo?

***

Kagome and Inu-Yasha waited anxiously for Miroku and Sango to get down the aisle just a little bit further. 

Kagome took a deep breath. This was all too much excitement for her to bear. Inu-Yasha noted her anxiety with a quiet chuckle.

"Don't worry, Kagome," he whispered in her ear. "You'll only have to do this twice more. At Sango's wedding and at mine. Only then you'll be under a bit **more** stress."

Kagome gasped. What had he just meant by that?! Was that some kind of half ass proposal?! She had no time to ask; now it was their turn to walk down the aisle. 

***

Sesshomaru quickly moved to the other side of the chapel, where he had seen the woman. Who was she and why was she here?

He saw her again. 

It was Kikyo!

Kikyo was moving quickly to the main aisle. She had something clutched in her hand. It looked suspiciously like a gun. Then Sesshomaru saw somebody else in the corner of his eye. He stopped and was shocked to see Kagura. Then he saw she had a small pistol clutched in her hands.

Where the hell was Kouga?!

This situation was going downhill fast. The car spun out of control when Inu-Yasha and Kagome stepped out of the sacristy. Both Kagura and Kikyo pulled up their hands up to reveal their pistols. There was two loud BANG!'s and then all hell broke loose as two people fell to the ground.

*********************

Sacristy* in a church, this is the room behind the altar and/or at the end of the aisle near the doors.

Heh, heh… I know… short for such a long wait. Sorry, but I'm starting to loose interest in this story. Don't worry, I WILL finish it…the end is near…very near…in like…two or three chapters… Your reviews are what's keeping me going on it so if you want more: review. And, as some of you may notice, the summary has changed. This way it's easier for me to write. 

I am gaining interest in a new story I'm writing: Hagakure. Not exactly a romance, but I'm positive it will have fluff and a bit of jealousy in it. It's kinda like a Humor/Action/Adventure with a pinch of Romance and a dash of Angst. What? They call that a soap opera? Oh…

{Netiri-sama no Kitsune-hi}


	16. The Game Changes

Disclaimer: don't own him. Never will…

This is a bit angsty…and fluffy…in parts… oh and I apologize for not doing review responses. Last time I was just so bored and fed up with this storyline that I forgot. and now I just don't feel like doing em… I'll still answer direct questions though… and at the end I'll put up everybody's name! Err… end of the story, I mean… which, as it's going right now, could be in two chapters.

The Game Changes

Kouga saw it: Kikyo and Kagura had pulled their guns out. He followed the muzzle of the guns to pinpoint where they were to be fired. Kikyo's was pointed at Inu-Yasha and Kagura's was pointed at…Kikyo? What?! He thought they were allies. Apparently not.

Kikyo's eyes blazed with hurt, rage and a whole mixing pot of other emotions as she pulled the trigger. How Kouga got in front of the bullet that was defiantly meant for Inu-Yasha, would forever remain a mystery; nobody saw him do it.

The shot hit him and he fell to the ground with a sickening groan.

Inu-Yasha sensed her. Kikyo… Why was she here? He knew her and she was definitely not a churchgoer anymore.

Before he knew what was happening, that annoying wolf from the airport that had a price on his head as far as Inu-Yasha was concerned, was in front of him. A shot was heard and he went down with a groan.

Inu-Yasha looked directly behind the fallen wolf to see a mull of horrified people and Kikyo. She was on the ground in an ever-growing pool of her own blood. On the other side of the chapel was Sesshomaru holding a woman with traumatized red eyes. In her hands was a gun; undoubtedly she was the one who shot Kikyo.

Kagome gaped at the man in front of her who was now bleeding. It was the customs agent from the airport! Why was he there?

"Are, you okay…?" She asked weakly.

Nobody was able to hear her over the chaos. Inu-Yasha gripped her to him protectively.

Sango stared. She didn't duck or scream or cry. She just froze. She didn't know what else to do. Her emotions locked themselves away. This was just like what happened to her family. Memories of that awful day flooded back.

_Flashback_

It had been so peaceful. How did it end up like this? **Why** did it end up like this?

Sango wondered these thoughts as she cradled her brother's bloody and limp body in her arms.

"Kohaku…" she sobbed into his hair.

They were her family and now they were gone. It was all because of that man in the shadows. That…Onigumo character.

'Why did I ever talk to him!?' Sango mentally reprimanded herself.

She looked out over the carnage that had started as a family reunion. Now the only reunion Sango could hope for would be the one in heaven.

"If I hadn't they'd…they'd all be alive!"

Sango became faintly aware of someone calling her name.

"Sango!"

Someone pulled her down. She looked up and found herself lost in indigo eyes that were glazed with fear.

"Are you crazy?! Stay down!" he said as her covered her head with a protective arm.

On the other side of town, a man with black greasy hair sat inside his office. It had the distinct scent of smoke from various different types of narcotics as smoke was still hanging over the room. The shades on the windows were drawn tightly closed and it was dark inside; the only source of light came from a desk lamp.

He scowled at the wall like it had caused his whole dilemma.

"Damn those incompetent fools."

Kagura and Kikyo. Those two were a pain in the ass. In fact, he was kind of glad he was rid of them. Kagura would never talk; she wouldn't for her sister's sake if she was smart. Kikyo was dead so any threat she posed was gone.

From his point of view, Inu-Yasha was currently the biggest threat to him and his business. Inu-Yasha had always been suspicious of Naraku but normally just looked the other way and continued on his work. That had been until he saw those women.

"They were whores anyway." Naraku scoffed. "I don't see why he felt so bad…"

The worst was over. Everything had been explained after the ambulance had taken Kikyo and Kouga away.

Inu-Yasha felt a sickening feeling of loss. Kikyo was dead. Kikyo…dead. The words he'd never thought he'd ever hear in his life were told by his older brother. He didn't love the same way he once had, but that didn't stop him from feeling her loss. She had died… But why? Kagura…the woman with painful red eyes… she shot Kikyo. Why? Kouga…that wolf from the airport… He'd been working to get Naraku all along. The happening at the airport had been a mistake. They'd been looking for Kikyo. Why did all these things seem to lead up to Naraku?

Because they **_did_** lead up to Naraku. It was as simple as that.

As if reading his younger brother's mind Sesshomaru said, "Naraku is the one we really need to get. Kagura has confessed everything she knows in exchange that we find her sister. We know that Kikyo was working with Naraku to kill you, Inu-Yasha.

She heard that you were coming to the states somehow and came before we could fix our security. I was away on business so I wasn't there when she was put on my payroll two weeks ago; I wouldn't have known who she was until just recently."

Kagome gaped at Inu-Yasha. All that she'd been told had hit her like a ton of bricks. It was utterly amazing how he had been able to keep such a huge secret from her for so long.

_Flashback_

"I was in a gang, Kagome." Inu-Yasha confessed to her for the first time. "Naraku headed it. I decided I was going to leave after I discovered what they were doing to gain all the money. The weapons and drugs I didn't really mind…most gangs do sell those…but those women…I couldn't stand for it. I wouldn't allow myself to be brought down to that level. It was disgusting.

I was going to leave, take Kikyo with me; maybe marry her and have a family outside of that kind of environment. She didn't want to leave. She stayed with Naraku. I'll never know why. Maybe it was the money.

I went to the police and bargained with them. I learned the Naraku's little gang wasn't so little; it was a national black market. Weapons, drugs, women…anything and everything was his specialty. Then I had to be put under police protection. I used the name Taisho for a while, but I couldn't keep who I was a secret."

Kagome stared at his face blankly.

"You lied to me…"

Inu-Yasha looked truly saddened.

"Because I love you."

[I could be really evil and just stop it right here. But I know if I do I'll have headhunters and I probably won't get the motivation to write more…so…READ ON!**]**

Sango stood with Miroku listening intently to Sesshomaru speak to Inu-Yasha.

"Kagura proved to be very useful. She went under the code-name 'Gusty' while she was working with Naraku, but she only did it because he was threatening her sister, Kanna."

"He would be…?" Miroku asked. He had been preoccupied with keeping Sango standing so he had missed some of the conversation.

"Naraku. Or, as Kagura said, he also went by the name Onigumo."

Sango went rigid, her eyes glazed with fear. She began to shake uncontrollably as she slumped to the ground despite Miroku's efforts to keep her up.

"Sango? Sango?!"

Miroku knelt down beside her.

"Sango, what's wrong?!" Kagome cried as she reached out to her friend.

"Get a medic in here!" Sesshomaru ordered.

"Its him…the same one who… IT WAS HIM!" Sango screamed, now in hysterics. "HE GOT THEM!"

"Who got who?" Inu-Yasha asked quietly, now beside Kagome, Sango, and Miroku.

"Onigumo…he killed…Kohaku…" Sango sobbed. "…All of them…"

Miroku put his arms around her and pulled her against himself.

"Shh…Sango…Shh…" Miroku cooed as he rocked her back and forth. "We'll get him… don't worry." he vowed.

Sesshomaru scowled. He was not familiar with her case. He'd have to look it up later…

Inu-Yasha growled. Naraku had more than just the police looking for him. He had Inu-Yasha after him. The game had changed.

Kouga woke up in a white room. He blinked his eyes a few times to get the blurriness to go away.

Where am I?

He looked down on himself.

"More importantly, WHAT THE HELL AM I WEARING?!" he shouted.

He was clad in a lovely pinstripe gown and bleach white bandages. Several of them were stained crimson, undoubtedly from his own blood.

He remembered now. Kikyo…Inu-Yasha…that shot.

"I JUMPED IN FRONT OF A BULLET?! I'M GOING INSANE!"

A nurse walked in with a tray of food.

"Well that's common after head injuries, Mr. Watsuke."

[A/N] I thought that was a good place to end it for now. Not the story…the chapter… Do you people think I wouldn't keep to my word? I **WILL** finish this! I'll do it if it **KILLS** me!

Kouga: [still in his pinstripe gown] That can be arranged…

Inu: …

Miroku: He's not complaining… that's a wonder…

Inu: Feh! Stupid monk… I **ALWAYS **have something to complain about!

Raven: He says that like it's a good thing…

Inu: Netiri, why the hell'd you make me a gangster?!

Raven: She has her reasons…

[Smiles and nods]

Raven: …stupid though they may be…

…Hey… [glares at Raven]

just review…/


	17. Reflections and Revenge

Disclaimer: Of _COURSE_ I own Inu-Yasha! -- Dripping with sarcasm. Can't you hear it? [drip, drip] There we go!

[sigh] The end is here… I can't be serious, even for a fight scene… damn… I hope you like…

— — — — — — — — — — —

Reflections and Revenge

— — — — — — — — — — —

Kagome sat on the porch of the beach condo with Sango. They sat together in silence just trying to enjoy each other's company. 'Trying' being the key word. As hard as they tried not to think of what happened earlier that day, they couldn't. One person was dead, another injured and in the hospital. Those types of things don't go away; especially when you have a lingering feeling that it's your fault. It was like a thorn burrowing itself deeper and deeper into their souls. They had no control over the pain and it was starting to be overwhelming. How much pain would they have to go through to become a normal group of college grads?

Kagome felt like she had ruined her cousin's moment. Trouble followed her around like a lost puppy and she knew it. If she knew something awful like this was sure to happen, they why did she come? She remembered the gleeful looks Sango and the others had given her when she told about the wedding. Those looks were what had driven her to come; that and the joy she knew she'd give her cousin by being present.

Sango was absorbed by the loss of her entire family. The events of the afternoon understandably made her mind race to it every time she saw a little boy playing with his friends or family. It hurt. Her entire being hurt; body and soul ached uncontrollably and she needed a way out.

There was one answer to stopping the pain: justice. It was funny how one simple word could relive a world of hurt and suffering, but that's how it was. That's how it was supposed to be at least…

"Sango…? Kagome…?" Miroku asked, poking his head out from inside.

Both girls turned and looked at him with sad, weary eyes.

"Where's Inu-Yasha?"

Kagome's eyes went wide with fear.

"What do you mean?" Sango gulped.

"He's not here." Miroku stated. "I thought maybe he was out here with you two."

"He's not…" Kagome said, horrified. "He didn't…"

"Didn't what?" Miroku asked gently.

"He went after him!" Kagome shouted as she stood up.

She knew Inu-Yasha. He was self-righteous and often took matters into his own hands. If she had guessed correctly, he was out looking for Naraku.

— — — —

Inu-Yasha slipped around a dark street corner. He didn't exactly know where he was going, but he could follow his nose. Naraku's scent was not something to be easily forgotten.

"That bastard…" Inu-Yasha growled to himself. "He can do anything to me, but when he messes with my friends…" He left the threat hanging in the air.

Inu-Yasha sniffed the city air and found the scent to be quite unpleasant: pineapple and tropical flowers mixed with car exhaust and oil. However, there was one scent that stood out: Naraku's. Even without his keen nose, Inu-Yasha could have picked out that putrid scent from a mile away.

Inu-Yasha allowed himself to be led away by the scent. He followed it until he found himself at an abandoned warehouse.

"Way to be original, scum bag…" Inu-Yasha said, absentmindedly under his breath.

He easily made his way inside to find it was extremely dark.

"A security merit to this guy please…" Inu-Yasha muttered as he slunk around in the dark. "Overconfident piss-brained ass…"

Inu-Yasha made his way to a staircase. He didn't know where it led, but he could smell Naraku's putrid scent leaking from the rooms above. As he was about to begin his assent, the overhead lights flickered on.

"An overconfident piss-brained ass, am I?" Naraku's voice asked over the loudspeaker.

"Definitely." Inu-Yasha growled.

"Inu-Yasha…after all the things I've done for you…" Naraku drawled.

"Shut up, you bastard!" Inu-Yasha roared. "You used me and now you want to kill me because I got wind of it!"

"Inu-Yasha, name calling won't solve anything."

"And what will?!" Inu-Yasha growled.

"Your death." Naraku stated like it was the simplest thing in the world.

— — — —

"We've got to stop him!" Kagome shouted as she gathered up her car keys.

"I'd love to, but we don't know where he is." Miroku stated sensibly.

"We'll have to fix that, now won't we?" Sango hissed as she fixed Miroku with a glare.

Miroku gulped and nodded as he followed Kagome and Sango out the door.

— — — —

"You have got to be kidding me…" Inu-Yasha growled.

From the shipping doors, a large group of men armed with lead pipes walked out.

"That is so clichéd!" Inu-Yasha shouted.

"I prefer the term 'classic'," Naraku scoffed over the intercom.

"'I prefer the term classic.'" Inu-Yasha mocked. "Classic, my ass!"

"Go ahead, boys."

"Aw, shit!" Inu-Yasha exclaimed with passion as he found himself surrounded by burly men.

Inu-Yasha dodged as a man flung a pipe at his head. He flipped over and onto another man's shoulders. Another man took a swing, missed horribly, and clunked one of his associates on the head.

Inu-Yasha shook his head. These people fought like bumbling idiots!

Another man threw his pipe at Inu-Yasha, which resulted in knocking out at least ten of his partners.

Inu-Yasha stared then broke out in uncontrollable laughter as he watched all of the men start beating each other up. Evidentially, they hadn't noticed that he was standing by the stairs drinking a beer that he had stolen from a nearby cooler.

"You idiots!" Naraku shouted angrily at his men. "Fight HIM! Fight Inu-Yasha, not each other!"

The men ignored him and soon they were all decked out on the warehouse floor.

— — — —

"You're kidding me…" Miroku said incredulously as he made his way into the warehouse, guided by Inu-Yasha and tailed by the girls and some police officers.

"Nope." Inu-Yasha laughed. "They all just beat each other to a bloody pulp!"

"That is…so…" Kagome started as she peaked from behind Inu-Yasha to see a group of at least fifty men unconscious on the warehouse floor.

"Barbaric?" Sango supplied. "Amazing? Obtuse? Moronic? Stupid? Can I think of any others…?"

Inu-Yasha gave her a withering glance.

"She's right you know." Miroku remarked.

"Yeah!" Kagome agreed. "How stupid can one person be?! You came here by _yourself_ to take on Naraku! You had no clue what kind of danger you were in!"

"They started it, Wench! Besides, I'm fine."

"Shut up and SIT!" Kagome shouted at him as she pushed him into a chair.

While Inu-Yasha was getting reprimanded, Miroku was gazing up into the rafters of the warehouse. He thought he saw something move.

"What the hell…?" He asked subconsciously.

Then he saw it; a man with long, oily black hair was in the rafters and he had a gun aimed at Inu-Yasha's head!

"Inu-Yasha! Watch out!" Miroku shouted as he jumped towards him.

Miroku made pushed Inu-Yasha out of the way but wasn't so lucky himself.

"Damnit! Miroku!" Inu-Yasha shouted from his spot on top of Kagome. He saw the bleeding Miroku next to him.

— — — —

"Forget this…" Kouga muttered to himself as he looked around his hospital room.

He had it all planned out. When none of the nurses were looking he was going to get out of this hellhole. It was a perfect, idiot-proof plan:

1.Wait for the nurses to leave.

2.Get out of bed and find clothes other than his ugly pinstripe hospital gown.

3.Tie a rope made out of drapes, sheets, and scrubs and throw it over the window.

4.Run home before anybody starts to miss his yelling about lumpy pillows.

Indeed, it was a perfect plan…unless you're Kouga and Sesshomaru decides to check up on his partner.

"Tell me you're not going to jump out that window…" Sesshomaru said with an irritated sigh as he came into the hospital room, towing a small girl behind him. "You'll give Rin ideas."

Kouga froze at his spot near the open window. He was still clad in his hospital gown because he couldn't find his clothes, but he had a half-ass rope made from various clothing and bedding materials hanging out the window.

"Rin sees Uncle Kouga's tail end, Sesshomaru-sama!" Rin giggled and yanked Sesshomaru's hand.

"I see it too, Rin," he said to his daughter, covering her eyes, "and I'm going to have a long talk to Uncle Kouga later."

Kouga blushed and quickly covered his exposed backside and came to one conclusion: hospital gowns were definitely not meant for moving around in.

"Can uncle Kouga fly," Rin asked, "like Rin's birdie?"

"No, Rin." Sesshomaru told her.

"Was Uncle Kouga trying to learn? Cause if he was, he can take lessons from Rin's birdie! Uncle Kouga could stay at Rin and Sesshomaru-sama's house and learn!"

Sesshomaru resisted the urge to roll his eyes.

— — — —

Sango followed the bullet's path up into the rafters with her eyes. She caught sight of the man with the oily hair.

"Naraku!" she shouted angrily as she grabbed the pistol from one of the nearby officer's holsters.

"Miss— !" the officer started.

Sango was about to pull the trigger when a bloody but familiar hand enveloped hers.

"Sango, don't do that." Miroku said quietly. "Let them handle it."

Sango dropped the gun and turned to cry into Miroku's chest. What had she almost done? She'd almost killed Naraku…almost sunk to his level.

"It's going to be okay now…" Miroku comforted.

"What about your hand?" Sango gasped as she finally recognized his blood.

There was a bleeding hole in Miroku's right hand where the bullet had hit.

"I'm fine," Miroku assured her with a pained smile, "but Inu-Yasha owes me."

"You dumbass…" Inu-Yasha growled as he helped Kagome stand up.

— — — —

[A/N:] sorry it took me so long…I really, really wanted to finish this up so I could focus on Hagakure [which is coming along nicely, if I do say so myself] but I've had a lot of stuff to do. Um…I'll have the epilogue up soon… It should tie up all the loose ends for ya.

Thankies for your reviews! Now…GIVE ME MORE! [or I may be forced to delay my epilogue writing…]


	18. Epilogue

****

Disclaimer: … [pulls out a manga] Now you tell me, who's name is on this as the author? Right, Rumiko Takahashi. Now, what's my name? Netiri, good. Now, does 'Netiri' look like 'Rumiko' in ANY way?!

****

{A/N:} [sigh] here it is… The ending of this damn fic…told you I'd finish it…

— — — —

****

Epilogue

— — — —

"Momma!" Shippo cried happily as his mother came through the door, her arms loaded with shopping bags. "Wanna hear what Dad and Uncle Miroku taught Mika, Shoura and me?! Huh? Do ya, do ya?!"

"Yeah, Mom!" Mika said as Sango came in the door. "Daddy and Uncle Inu are really good poets!"

"Yupp!" the youngest of the trio said. "Good poets!"

Sango and Kagome exchanged a glance before turning to their husbands who were innocently getting up to take the shopping bags. Inu-Yasha crossed his fingers behind his back, hoping that Shippo wouldn't say the **real** version of the poem he'd taught them.

"Go ahead, Shippo." Kagome said cautiously.

Shippo puffed up his chest proudly and began to recite:

__

"Spider, spider, on the wall,

Don't you have no sense at all?

Can't you see?

That wall's been plastered!

Get off my wall you dirty bas— "

"SPIDER!" Inu-Yasha interrupted his son. "Spider, Shippo!"

"Don't be silly, Uncle Inu!" Mika laughed as her own father's face took on a worried expression. "Both you and Daddy clearly said 'dirty **_bastard_**' as the ending."

"Yupp! Daddy said 'dirty bastard'." Shoura echoed.

"Miroku!" Sango yelled. "Why did you teach these children this?!"

"Honestly!" Kagome joined. "Every single time we've left them with you two over the past six years, they end up learning a new word!"

"Lovely ladies, it is not I that teaches them these words!" Miroku defended. "It is Inu-Yasha!"

"Why you— TRAITOR!" Inu-Yasha bellowed.

"Wanna hear another poem?" Mika asked her mother. "One that _only_ Daddy taught me?"

Sango raised her eyebrows.

"Go ahead, Mika. I would **_love_** to hear what your father taught you."

Everybody turned to Miroku with a suspicious glare.

Mika recited, oblivious to her father's worried sweating.

__

"My favorite word begins with 'f'

And ends with 'u-c-k'.

My favorite word is…"

Sango gave Miroku a glare that promised certain death if her daughter said…the word.

__

"FIRE-TRUCK!

What did you think I was going to say?"

Miroku let out a giant sigh.

"See, Sango dear? I do not use those types of words when the children are around."

"Lying bastard…" Inu-Yasha growled.

"Mommy!" Shoura cried. "Unncy Inu said 'bastard' again!"

Sango picked her youngest daughter up.

"It looks like your Aunt Kagome has things covered." she said as she observed Kagome beating Inu-Yasha over the head with a rolled up newspaper as Shippo cheered her on. "Come on, Monk. I think its time to go home."

"Yes, Sango dear." Miroku said obediently while scooping up Mika.

"See you later, Inu. Bye, Kagome."

"Bye!" the feuding couple called over their shoulders as the beating continued.

"Tell me who won!" Mika called out to Shippo.

"Mika!" Sango scolded.

"I will!" Shippo replied. "Go Mommy! Get his ears!"

"Betrayed by my own family!" Inu-Yasha moaned.

— — — —

Kagome came back to her room after putting Shippo to bed. Inu-Yasha was laying out on the bed watching TV.

"You got a letter from Kara today." Inu-Yasha said, idly tossing her the letter. "We **are not **going to visit her."

"She loves it when we visit!" Kagome protested.

"Going halfway around the world to get abused isn't very enticing, Kag, especially when I get it at home…and for free!"

"Oh, shut up," Kagome said as she opened the letter and read it to herself.

__

Dear Kagome,

Hiya! How are things going with Shippo and Inu? Things here are fine, though I'm still adjusting to our new house. Its big and kinda empty right now, but that'll change soon because I'm going to have another baby! Can you believe it? Jason's such a stud. Lol!

Anyway, I'll write you again soon,

Kara

"What's that all about?" Inu-Yasha asked as he idly channel surfed.

"Well…" Kagome said happily. "Kara and I have something else in common."

"Which is…?" Inu-Yasha prodded as he looked away from the cooking show he'd landed on.

"We're going to have another baby!"

Inu-Yasha nearly died.

"You'd better not be joking, Kagome!" he said as he sprang over to her side.

"Why would I joke?"

Inu-Yasha chuckled and put his hand on Kagome's stomach.

"Another baby…"

That night Inu-Yasha dreamt about a sweet little girl with his silver hair, Kagome's blue eyes, and maybe his slightly clawed fingers. He would like to have a daughter; he already had a son he loved very much.

__

She would be gorgeous…absolutely perfect. Then again…it would be awful; there'd be so many boys after her!

— — — —

Inu-Yasha was in a deep sleep, dreaming about his wife and the event that brought them together forever: Naraku's trial.

__

"How do you explain your connection to BRRRRINNNNG!" the lawyer asked.

"BRRRRIIIINNNNGGG!" Naraku answered.

What the hell…?

Then Inu-Yasha shot straight up at the realization that the phone was ringing. He looked over at the clock to see that it read 3:45am. He grumbled some choice phrases when it wouldn't stop.

"Inu…get the phone…" Kagome yawned.

Inu-Yasha growled and answered the phone.

"Hello. Is Yuki there?" a distinctly male voice asked.

"Who is this?" Inu-Yasha growled.

"This is Koren…her, uh, friend." the now nervous boy replied.

"Listen, Koren" Inu-Yasha growled, "you don't call the house phone at three in the morning. Call her damned cell! And why the hell are you calling my daughter this early anyway?"

Kagome grabbed the phone away from her husband before he started yelling and woke everybody in the house up.

"Sorry about that." she apologized. "Please call back later, okay dear? Okay…I'll tell her you called. Bye, bye." Kagome hung up the phone with a sigh. "Inu, what are you going to do when she starts bringing boys over to the house?"

"I'll tell you what I'll do…" Inu-Yasha said with a smirk. "I'm gonna pull 'em over so only me and him can hear and I'm gonna say this: You see that girl over there? She is my only baby girl and if you break her heart I want you to know that I have no problem going back to prison."

"You've never been to prison, dear." Kagome said with a yawn.

"He won't know that," Inu-Yasha chuckled.

"I'd feel much better if you asked Miroku about how he handles his daughters' boyfriends." Kagome said as she snuggled up to her husband.

"That was a joke, right?" Inu-Yasha asked dryly.

"No," Kagome laughed. "Give him credit, Inu. He and Sango have seven daughters; he's bound to know how to handle it."

"Now that you mention it…" Inu-Yasha laughed.

— — — —

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[A/N:] [smiles] well its over! I TOLD you I'd finish it! And I wrote this all in one sitting…I'm proud of myself. Anyway I had more fun writing this that I did writing the entire story! Why? Well because I can easily picture Inu-Yasha as the father any boyfriend would piss his pants over. Lol! Review responses [I haven't done these in a while…]:

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Ladyhawk89: here it is! Don't kill me! Oh, and I read one of your stories…very interesting, I must say…

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BishieMunky: I couldn't believe it either, but alas, all good (at least, I hope it was good…) things must come to an end. If you mean 'new one' like as in a sequel, then sorry to disappoint, but no… I'm working on Hagakure and Princeling is up next, so I hope you will enjoy those!

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NefCanuck: I'm so very glad you liked it! Ah…Kouga as the president of the 'Smart as a Sack of Hammers Club'… yes, I'd have to agree… though he's completely hot, so that makes up for it, ne?

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Hunch: it's your own fault that you get into fights. Besides, Sango's too dignified to stoop to Naraku's level.

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Skie2: yeah, I was in a hurry…I'll need to go back and edit some of the stuff later, but right now I'll just bask in the doneness (I don't think that's a word…) of it all…

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Meinu: …yeah…I have moments like that too…anyway… DON'T KILL ME!

And for the rest of you who reviewed…THANKS A LOT! Your feedback really meant a lot to me and its what gave me the push I needed to finish this fic, even when I was getting angry at it. Please review! Oh, and please go read my other stories and drop a review there! My current project is:

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Hagakure: [summary] The group is out shard hunting when they meet a demoness who seems to know Inu-Yasha from when he was little. Who is she and why is she so depressed? She's _WHAT_?! She's related to **_WHO_**?! Trust me, she's got family that's directly involved with Inu-Yasha.

Raven: You took my job…

Netiri: You can still tell them to review and they won't object…

Raven: Though this is clichéd, review.


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